Review: ‘Together’ Made Me Realize That Codependency Can Actually Be… Romantic?

      From Too Much and Materialists to The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 3, 2025 has spoiled us with a delightful array of romantic releases. Amidst this influx of charming protagonists and love-triangle chaos, I never anticipated that one of the most meaningful romances I encountered this year would come from the horror genre, but Together changed my perceptions.

      Now, before those who shy away from horror movies scroll past—please stay with me for a moment. When I first watched the trailer for Alison Brie and Dave Franco’s new body horror film, Together, I confess—I felt a bit uneasy. After experiencing sleepless nights due to films like Insidious and Sinister during my youth, I wasn't sure I could handle it. However, when I finally mustered the courage to attend a screening this past weekend, I discovered that it wasn’t the gore or jump scares (though both are masterfully done) that made me grateful for my ticket. Instead, it was the film's ability to unravel relationship questions I had long struggled to express.

      As someone who has been with their partner for nearly a decade, I was curious—perhaps even eager—to see what insights this story might offer on an issue I grapple with more often than I care to admit: codependency. Together turned out to be not just a stunning film—palatable even for the most sensitive viewers—but I left the theater with lasting lessons about the connection between intimacy and identity.

      **What is Together about?**

      Starring the real-life married couple Alison Brie and Dave Franco, the story revolves around Millie (Brie), a meticulous, Type-A educator who takes on a new teaching position in the countryside, and her partner Tim (Franco), a struggling musician who has paused his own career to support Millie’s job and their shared life together. Between these two characters hangs an unarticulated tension regarding their personal desires and mutual expectations. As Millie and Tim officially settle into their new home, their anxieties quickly unravel into a body-altering nightmare that tests their love and identities.

      **My review of Together**

      It’s a horror film that doubles as a comedy and a romance.

      Together’s skin-crawling thrill strikes a balance between something profoundly human and something horrifyingly other. It ventures far beyond the happy endings of traditional rom-coms to confront the painful truths inherent in long-term relationships. While it’s filled with stunning, haunting visuals that make for an exceptional horror film, at times, it feels oddly more romantic than terrifying. It is imbued with subtle humor and a deep emotional maturity that left me feeling more enlightened than scared upon leaving the theater (aside from the unsettling sound design, of course). It’s my favorite kind of cinematic experience—the one that lingers long after the credits roll and refuses to be shaken off.

      **It revealed the genuinely terrifying aspects of love.**

      Like every great horror movie, Together keeps you on edge. You can't take in every frame without feeling anxious, wondering what horrifying “thing” might suddenly appear. Yet, for Millie and Tim, that eerie “thing” isn’t a monster you can point to. Instead, it represents something that anyone in a long-term relationship will recognize all too well: codependency.

      “It’s uncommon to find a film that can uncover something so deeply human amid something so undeniably horrifying, and Together achieves this beautifully.”

      Trying to maintain your individuality while building a life with someone can be one of the most challenging aspects of love. But Together bravely confronts it. For Millie and Tim, intimacy escalates to the extreme as it literally fights to bind them together in every possible way. Existing apart, without leaning on each other, feels impossible. What this film made me realize is that, in truth, it kind of is.

      You can still retain your identity in a relationship, but that identity will inevitably be influenced by the other person, whether you resist it or not. Resisting that bond and clinging to your pre-relationship self can transform into a different kind of monster—one that quietly undermines both your independence and your connection until you're left feeling unrecognizable. What unsettled me most about Together wasn’t the grotesque bodily transformations, but the quieter confrontations in between. It’s rare to come across a film that can reveal such deeply human truths amid something so frightening, yet Together accomplishes this effortlessly.

      **It prompted me to reflect on my own struggles with codependency.**

      Having been with my partner since high school, we’ve shared numerous rare and beautiful experiences together—from graduations and job changes to exploring new cities and grieving together. Yet, throughout these shared moments, I often find it difficult to pinpoint where I end and we begin. I appreciate that Together effectively reflects on these harder truths—the ones I tend to overlook since my partner and I are so accustomed to each other, we sometimes forget to see beyond our unity.

      After watching this film, I began to think more critically about what