Here's a test for long-term couples who appreciate scary movies: Settle in with your significant other and stream Together. The 2025 indie hit just made its online premiere on Hulu. At first glance, it might appear like standard body horror, but inside Together resides a profound examination about our choices in loving each other.
An Introductory Film Investigating The Nuances of Love
Together is the first full-length movie for director Michael Shanks. It stars 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 actuality in 2017, Franco and Brie bring a unique chemistry to their portrayals, masterfully depicting both the joys and frustrations of a committed partnership.
The plot commences when the couple move from the big city to the country for professional reasons. A familiar story element, sure, but that’s primarily where the tropes conclude. Together evolves into as much a psychological exploration of the partnership as it is a body horror flick.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While trekking near their country house, a violent storm occurs, and Millie and Tim discover an hole in the earth. After spending the night there and managing to escape, a strange force begins influencing the pair. This force compels a paranormal intimacy between them that goes far beyond typical partnership.
The entire film is a methodically building of scares, interspersing elements of fever-dream horrors, gross (but not excessively graphic) physical transformations, and surprisingly comedic interactions (sometimes in the middle of something horrific). The director skillfully blends these components seamlessly and wraps them up in a slowly mounting atmosphere of fear.
Layered Performances
A large part of Together is only the two lead actors, and they masterfully render manifold depths to the characters’ relationship. Millie's sense of self and feeling of intimacy is waning due to a distance. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his reluctance to focus on anything other than his struggling artistic pursuits gradually emerges.
In contrast, Tim's character feels trapped and separated by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve left the city and removed from his support system. He is terrified of the idea of totally forfeiting his personal autonomy in his partner. This fear is further exacerbated by the circumstance he does not operate a vehicle and needs Millie for mobility.
Shanks’ smartest move in Together refrains from painting Tim or Millie the clear bad guy.
The couple face the type of challenges that are inherent in most partnerships over a long period. At their core, they still love each other. They still laugh together, offer support, and share intimately at times. But under the surface, there’s an persistent current of uncertainty about their relationship.
Allegory and Meaning
While the paranormal elements in Together act as a metaphor for these anxieties of codependency and giving oneself over to another person, the metaphor avoids being overly obvious or self-important. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments provide a brilliant analogue to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the horror and the drama enhance each other in harmony.
A Debated Finale
Together’s final act, which is best experienced firsthand, has sparked debate on the story's concluding statement about codependent relationships. Accounts suggest that those not in relationships have understood the narrative as a compelling reason for staying single. Meanwhile, some couples who were in conflict found that the film actually helped them make up.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own reaction could potentially serve as a telling indicator of how you view relationships. Will the ending plant anxiety and horror, or a positive outlook on love? Will you recognize your own traits in either protagonist and scream at your TV, or simply turn to your significant other and state, “I’d do that for you”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an exploration you can embark on right now.
Together is currently playing on Hulu now.
