Here's a challenge for those in enduring partnerships who enjoy scary movies: Get comfortable with your partner and view Together. This independent film success of 2025 recently had its streaming debut on the Hulu service. At first glance, it could look like conventional body horror, but within Together resides a deep meditation about our choices in loving one another.
An Introductory Film Delving into Partnership Complexities
Together marks 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 remained a couple for ten years. Married in reality in 2017, the actors contribute a special spark to their characters, expertly portraying both the strengths and weaknesses of a committed partnership.
The story starts when Millie and Tim relocate from the metropolis to the countryside for professional reasons. A somewhat stereotypical plot device, of course, but that’s primarily where the conventions end. Together transforms into as much a psychological exploration of the couple's dynamic as it is a body horror flick.
A Paranormal Spark
While walking near their new home, a storm hits, and Millie and Tim fall into an underground cave. After a night spent there and managing to escape, a supernatural entity takes hold of the duo. This force compels a supernatural closeness between them that goes exceeding emotional intimacy.
The whole movie is a methodically building fright fest, blending elements of hallucinatory nightmares, disturbing (but tastefully done) body horror, and surprisingly comedic interactions (sometimes in the middle of something disturbing). Shanks orchestrates these parts seamlessly and presents them in a consistently growing atmosphere of fear.
Layered Performances
A great deal of Together is solely the performances of its stars, and they masterfully render countless layers to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Millie's sense of self and feeling of intimacy is suffering due to a distance. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his reluctance to pursue anything but his struggling artistic pursuits slowly bubbles to the surface.
Conversely, Tim experiences isolation and separated by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve relocated rural and far away from his support system. He is terrified of the idea of utterly sacrificing his sense of self in another person. This fear is intensified by the fact he lacks a driver's license and is dependent on Millie for getting around.
Shanks’ smartest move is that he refrains from painting Tim or Millie the definite antagonist.
The couple grapple with the sort of issues that arise in most partnerships a decade in. Deep down, they have affection for each other. They share moments of joy, provide solace, and share intimately at times. But below this facade, there’s an persistent current of uncertainty about their bond.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the paranormal elements in Together symbolize these anxieties of codependency and totally devoting oneself to another person, the metaphor never feels clumsy or heavy-handed. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments offer a perfect parallel to the relationship narrative. Both the horror and the drama serve the other symbiotically.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s conclusion, which won’t be spoiled here, has created disagreement on the story's concluding statement about codependent relationships. Accounts suggest that single viewers have seen the movie as a compelling reason for remaining unattached. Conversely, certain partners experiencing tension found that the film ultimately assisted them make up.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own reaction could act as a great barometer of how you perceive partnership. Will the ending inspire a sense of discomfort and fear, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you see yourself in either protagonist and feel frustration, or simply glance toward your other half and state, “I understand that choice”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an experiment you can undertake at this very moment.
Together is available to watch on Hulu at present.
