We present a challenge for long-term couples who appreciate the horror genre: Settle in with your partner and stream Together. This critically acclaimed 2025 movie has now made its launch on a streaming platform on Hulu. At first glance, it could look like standard body horror, but beneath Together exists a intense meditation about how we choose to love our partners.
A Debut Feature Investigating Relationship Dynamics
Together represents the first full-length movie for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It stars the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Millie and Tim, an unmarried couple that have stayed together for over ten years. United in marriage in reality in 2017, the two stars contribute a unique chemistry to their characters, expertly portraying both the strengths and weaknesses of a long-term relationship.
The narrative starts when Millie and Tim transition from the metropolis to the rural area for Millie’s job. A somewhat stereotypical narrative setup, of course, but that’s mostly where the cliches end. Together evolves into as much a psychological exploration of the pair’s relationship as it is a body horror flick.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While hiking near their rural residence, a tempest descends, and the two fall into an underground cave. After being trapped overnight there and finally finding a way out, a mysterious influence begins influencing the duo. This force creates a otherworldly bond between them that goes well past typical partnership.
The complete narrative is a methodically building of scares, blending elements of fever-dream horrors, gross (but never too gross) body horror, and authentically humorous interactions (sometimes during something disturbing). Michael Shanks weaves these elements together seamlessly and delivers them in a slowly mounting sense of impending doom.
Nuanced Portrayals
A great deal of Together is solely the two lead actors, and they masterfully render countless layers to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Millie’s confidence and sense of connection is deteriorating due to a distance. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his hesitance to focus on anything other than his floundering music career gradually emerges.
Conversely, Tim experiences isolation and cut off by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve moved to the country and removed from his support system. He is terrified of the notion of utterly sacrificing his individual identity in another person. This fear is intensified by the fact he can’t drive and relies on Millie for transportation.
Shanks’ smartest move in this movie refrains from painting one partner or the other the obvious villain.
The couple confront the sort of issues that come with any relationship over a long period. Deep down, they have affection for one another. They still laugh together, offer support, and open up at times. But beneath it all, there’s an unavoidable current of uncertainty about their future together.
Thematic Depth
While the paranormal elements in Together symbolize these anxieties of codependency and giving oneself over to a partner, the allegory does not come across as overly obvious or self-important. Instead, these visceral horror elements present a ideal counterpart to the relationship narrative. Both the frights and the fights enhance each other in harmony.
A Debated Finale
Together’s ending, which is best experienced firsthand, has created disagreement on the movie's final takeaway about codependent relationships. It has been said that single viewers have seen the movie as a powerful case for staying single. On the other hand, a few pairs having disagreements found that the film ultimately assisted them resolve their issues.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own response could potentially serve as a revealing measure of how you view relationships. Will the finale plant feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a positive outlook on love? Will you recognize your own traits in one of the characters and feel frustration, or simply look at your significant other and utter, “We could get through that together”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an experiment you can embark on today.
Together is available to watch on Hulu as of this moment.
