We present a challenge for those in enduring partnerships who appreciate scary movies: Settle in with your loved one and stream Together. This critically acclaimed 2025 movie just made its online premiere via Hulu. On the surface, it might appear like standard body horror, but beneath Together lies a profound meditation about the ways we decide to love each other.
A Directorial Debut Delving into The Nuances of Love
Together marks the debut feature-length film for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It features the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Tim and Millie, an unmarried couple that have remained a couple for over ten years. Having wed in real life in 2017, the actors infuse a special spark to their roles, masterfully depicting both the joys and frustrations of a enduring union.
The story begins when the couple relocate from the metropolis to the country for professional reasons. A commonly used story element, admittedly, but that’s largely where the tropes conclude. Together evolves into as much a examination of mental states of the couple's dynamic as it is a body horror flick.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While walking near their rural residence, a violent storm occurs, and Millie and Tim discover an subterranean cavern. After spending the night there and finally finding a way out, a mysterious influence takes hold of the couple. This force creates a otherworldly bond between them that goes exceeding emotional intimacy.
The complete narrative is a slow burn of scares, blending moments of fever-dream horrors, disturbing (but tastefully done) body horror, and surprisingly comedic dialogue (sometimes amidst something grotesque). Michael Shanks orchestrates these parts neatly and wraps them up in a consistently growing sense of impending doom.
Complex Characterizations
A significant portion of Together is solely the two lead actors, and they skillfully illustrate numerous complexities to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Millie’s confidence and emotional bond is deteriorating due to a distance. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his unwillingness to pursue anything but his struggling artistic pursuits gradually emerges.
Conversely, Tim feels trapped and separated by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve left the city and removed from his network of friends. He is terrified of the concept of completely losing his sense of self in Millie. This fear is intensified by the reality he lacks a driver's license and needs Millie for transportation.
The film's most intelligent aspect is that he never makes Tim or Millie the obvious villain.
Tim and Millie grapple with the sort of issues that come with any relationship a decade in. Deep down, they still love one another. They still laugh together, provide solace, and open up at times. But beneath it all, there’s an persistent undercurrent of doubt about their bond.
Thematic Depth
While the otherworldly presence in Together represent these concerns of codependency and totally devoting oneself to a partner, the allegory does not come across as hamfisted or self-important. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments provide a ideal counterpart to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the supernatural and the personal work together in a mutually beneficial way.
A Debated Finale
Together’s conclusion, which is best experienced firsthand, has created disagreement on the movie's final takeaway about enmeshed dynamics. Reports indicate that those not in relationships have interpreted the film as a powerful case for remaining unattached. Meanwhile, some couples having disagreements found that the film ultimately assisted them reconcile.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own response could potentially serve as a great barometer of how you view relationships. Will the conclusion inspire a sense of discomfort and fear, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you identify in either protagonist and yell at the screen, or simply turn to your other half and state, “I understand that choice”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an experiment you can experience right now.
Together is currently playing on Hulu now.
