We present a dare for those in enduring partnerships who enjoy horror films: Sit down with your partner and watch Together. This independent film success of 2025 has now made its launch on a streaming platform on the Hulu service. On the surface, it could look like typical body horror, but within Together lies a profound examination about the ways we decide to love one another.
A Debut Feature Delving into The Nuances of Love
Together is the debut feature-length film for filmmaker 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 a decade. Married in actuality in 2017, Franco and Brie bring a particular energy to their portrayals, skillfully embodying both the good and bad of a enduring union.
The narrative begins when Tim and Millie transition from the metropolis to the country for her career. A somewhat stereotypical plot device, of course, but that’s primarily where the cliches end. Together transforms into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the pair’s relationship as it is a film about physical terror.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While trekking near their new home, a storm hits, and the two fall into an subterranean cavern. After spending the night there and finally finding a way out, a mysterious influence begins influencing the pair. This force induces a otherworldly bond between them that goes exceeding emotional intimacy.
The entire film is a methodically building horror experience, interspersing bits of fever-dream horrors, gross (but tastefully done) biological grotesqueries, and genuinely funny dialogue (sometimes in the middle of something grotesque). Michael Shanks orchestrates these parts neatly and wraps them up in a consistently growing sense of impending doom.
Nuanced Portrayals
A great deal of Together is exclusively the performances of its stars, and they masterfully render countless layers to the partnership at the film's core. Millie's sense of self and sense of connection is suffering due to a emotional and physical gap. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his hesitance to chase only his floundering music career inexorably rises.
In contrast, Tim's character experiences isolation and cut off by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve left the city and far away from his network of friends. He dreads the idea of completely losing his personal autonomy in Millie. This fear is intensified by the reality he does not operate a vehicle and relies on Millie for mobility.
The director's cleverest decision is that he never makes either of his characters the obvious villain.
Tim and Millie confront the kind of problems that are inherent in most partnerships over a long period. At their core, they have affection for each other. They share moments of joy, offer support, and are vulnerable at times. But under the surface, there’s an persistent feeling of questioning about their relationship.
Thematic Depth
While the supernatural forces in Together symbolize these anxieties of unhealthy attachment and fully committing to another person, the symbolism does not come across as hamfisted or pretentious. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments offer a perfect parallel to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the horror and the drama serve the other in harmony.
A Debated Finale
Together’s conclusion, which is best experienced firsthand, has sparked debate on the movie's final takeaway about enmeshed dynamics. Accounts suggest that unattached audience members have seen the movie as a powerful case for staying single. Meanwhile, certain partners who were in conflict found that the film actually helped them reconcile.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own response could function as a great barometer of how you perceive partnership. Will the conclusion sow a sense of discomfort and fear, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you identify in either protagonist and scream at your TV, or simply turn to your significant other and say, “I’d do that for you”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an test you can embark on right now.
Together is streaming on Hulu at present.
