Consider this a test for partners in committed relationships who appreciate horror films: Get comfortable with your significant other and view Together. The 2025 indie hit recently had its launch on a streaming platform on the Hulu service. On the surface, it might appear like typical body horror, but within Together exists a deep examination about how we choose to love our partners.
An Introductory Film Investigating Partnership Complexities
Together marks the first full-length movie for director Michael Shanks. It showcases the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as a couple named Tim and Millie, an unmarried couple that have been together for a decade. Married in real life in 2017, the two stars contribute a special spark to their portrayals, masterfully depicting both the joys and frustrations of a enduring union.
The narrative commences when Tim and Millie relocate from the urban environment to the rural area for Millie’s job. A familiar plot device, admittedly, but that’s mostly where the conventions cease. Together evolves into as much a examination of mental states of the partnership as it is a body horror flick.
A Paranormal Spark
While trekking near their new home, a storm hits, and the protagonists discover an subterranean cavern. After being trapped overnight there and eventually escaping, a strange force starts to affect the couple. This force compels a paranormal intimacy between them that goes far beyond emotional intimacy.
The complete narrative is a slow burn fright fest, blending elements of hallucinatory nightmares, unsettling (but never too gross) body horror, and authentically humorous interactions (sometimes in the middle of something grotesque). Shanks orchestrates these parts expertly and delivers them in a consistently growing aura of dread.
Layered Performances
A great deal of Together is solely the performances of its stars, and they deftly portray countless layers to the characters’ relationship. Millie’s confidence and emotional bond is deteriorating due to a distance. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his hesitance to chase only his floundering music career slowly bubbles to the surface.
Conversely, Tim feels trapped and separated by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve relocated rural and far away from his support system. He dreads the notion of totally forfeiting his individual identity in his partner. This fear is intensified by the fact he does not operate a vehicle and relies on Millie for mobility.
The director's cleverest decision in Together avoids making Tim or Millie the definite antagonist.
The couple grapple with the kind of problems that come with any relationship a decade in. Fundamentally, they have affection for one another. They share moments of joy, provide solace, and share intimately at times. But under the surface, there’s an inescapable current of uncertainty about their bond.
Allegory and Meaning
While the supernatural forces in Together act as a metaphor for these fears of excessive reliance and totally devoting oneself to another person, the symbolism does not come across as hamfisted or pretentious. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes provide a ideal counterpart to the relationship narrative. Both the supernatural and the personal serve the other in a mutually beneficial way.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s final act, which is best experienced firsthand, has left audiences divided on the movie's final takeaway about codependent relationships. Accounts suggest that those not in relationships have interpreted the film as a compelling reason for remaining unattached. On the other hand, certain partners experiencing tension found that the film ultimately assisted them reconcile.
Whether you’re single or coupled up, your own response could act as a great barometer of how you perceive partnership. Will the conclusion inspire anxiety and horror, or a positive outlook on love? Will you recognize your own traits in Tim or Millie and yell at the screen, or simply look at your significant other and utter, “I’d do that for you”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an exploration you can embark on today.
Together is currently playing on Hulu's platform now.
