We present a test for partners in committed relationships who are fans of the horror genre: Sit down with your loved one and stream Together. The independent film success of 2025 recently had its online premiere on the Hulu service. On the surface, it may seem like conventional biological terror, but within Together exists a intense examination about the ways we decide to love our partners.
A Directorial Debut Delving into The Nuances of Love
Together is the first full-length movie for director Michael Shanks. It features the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Tim and Millie, an unmarried couple that have been together for over ten years. Married in actuality in 2017, the actors infuse a particular energy to their roles, expertly portraying both the good and bad of a long-term relationship.
The narrative starts when the couple relocate from the metropolis to the rural area for professional reasons. A commonly used story element, admittedly, but that’s largely where the cliches cease. Together evolves into as much a examination of mental states of the partnership as it is a body horror flick.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While hiking near their new home, a tempest descends, and the protagonists tumble into an hole in the earth. After being trapped overnight there and eventually escaping, a supernatural entity begins influencing the couple. This force compels a supernatural closeness between them that goes well past simple connection.
The complete narrative is a methodically building of scares, weaving in elements of fever-dream horrors, gross (but never too gross) body horror, and surprisingly comedic interactions (sometimes during something disturbing). Michael Shanks skillfully blends these components expertly and wraps them up in a slowly mounting atmosphere of fear.
Complex Characterizations
A great deal of Together is exclusively Brie and Franco, and they skillfully illustrate manifold depths to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Millie’s confidence and emotional bond is waning due to a distance. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his reluctance to focus on anything other than his failing musical ambitions slowly bubbles to the surface.
Tim, on the other hand feels trapped and cut off by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve moved to the country and removed from his social circle. He dreads the idea of totally forfeiting his individual identity in Millie. This fear is amplified by the fact he lacks a driver's license and relies on Millie for transportation.
Shanks’ smartest move is that he never makes either of his characters the definite antagonist.
Both characters grapple with the kind of problems that arise in long-term unions after ten years. Fundamentally, they have affection for one another. They find humor with each other, offer support, and share intimately at times. But beneath it all, there’s an inescapable current of uncertainty about their future together.
Allegory and Meaning
While the otherworldly presence in Together act as a metaphor for these concerns of unhealthy attachment and giving oneself over to another person, the symbolism avoids being clumsy or pretentious. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes provide a perfect parallel to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the frights and the fights work together in a mutually beneficial way.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s final act, which won’t be spoiled here, has sparked debate on the film’s ultimate message about unhealthy partnerships. Accounts suggest that those not in relationships have interpreted the film as a strong argument for staying single. Conversely, some couples having disagreements found that the film actually helped them make up.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own reaction could potentially serve as a revealing measure of how you perceive partnership. Will the finale sow feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a positive outlook on love? Will you see yourself in one of the characters and feel frustration, or simply look at your partner and utter, “We could get through that together”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an experiment you can undertake at this very moment.
Together is currently playing on Hulu's platform now.
