Consider this a challenge for those in enduring partnerships who enjoy the horror genre: Settle in with your partner and view Together. This critically acclaimed 2025 movie recently had its online premiere via Hulu. On the surface, it may seem like standard body horror, but inside Together exists a deep contemplation about how we choose to love our partners.
A Debut Feature Delving into The Nuances of Love
Together represents the first full-length movie for director Michael Shanks. It features actors Alison Brie and Dave Franco as a couple named Tim and Millie, an unmarried couple that have been together for ten years. Married in actuality in 2017, the actors infuse a unique chemistry to their characters, skillfully embodying both the joys and frustrations of a committed partnership.
The plot begins when Millie and Tim relocate from the metropolis to the country for professional reasons. A somewhat stereotypical plot device, sure, but that’s primarily where the conventions end. Together evolves into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the partnership as it is a body horror flick.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While hiking near their new home, a storm hits, and the two discover an underground cave. After spending the night there and managing to escape, a strange force takes hold of the pair. This force induces a otherworldly bond between them that goes far beyond typical partnership.
The complete narrative is a methodically building horror experience, interspersing bits of fever-dream horrors, disturbing (but not excessively graphic) physical transformations, and genuinely funny exchanges (sometimes amidst something grotesque). The director weaves these elements together expertly and wraps them up in a slowly mounting sense of impending doom.
Nuanced Portrayals
A significant portion of Together is only the performances of its stars, and they skillfully illustrate numerous complexities to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Millie’s confidence and sense of connection is deteriorating due to a lack of intimacy. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his reluctance to pursue anything but his failing musical ambitions slowly bubbles to the surface.
Conversely, Tim senses confinement and separated by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve relocated rural and removed from his network of friends. He is terrified of the idea of totally forfeiting his sense of self in his partner. This fear is intensified by the circumstance he can’t drive and is dependent on Millie for transportation.
The film's most intelligent aspect in this movie never makes one partner or the other the clear bad guy.
Tim and Millie confront the kind of problems that come with most partnerships over a long period. At their core, they have affection for each other. They still laugh together, offer support, and share intimately at times. But beneath it all, there’s an inescapable undercurrent of doubt about their bond.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the paranormal elements in Together represent these anxieties of unhealthy attachment and fully committing to a partner, the metaphor does not come across as overly obvious or heavy-handed. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments offer a perfect parallel to the relationship narrative. Both the supernatural and the personal serve the other symbiotically.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s ending, which remains unspoiled, has sparked debate on the movie's final takeaway about enmeshed dynamics. It has been said that single viewers have understood the narrative as a powerful case for staying single. Meanwhile, certain partners having disagreements found that the film actually helped them resolve their issues.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own interpretation could potentially serve as a great barometer of how you think about commitment. Will the finale sow a sense of discomfort and fear, or a positive outlook on love? Will you identify in either protagonist and feel frustration, or simply look at your other half and utter, “I understand that choice”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an test you can experience at this very moment.
Together is available to watch on Hulu's platform now.
