We present a dare for those in enduring partnerships who appreciate the horror genre: Settle in with your significant other and view Together. The independent film success of 2025 just made its streaming debut on the Hulu service. At first glance, it might appear like typical physical horror, but inside Together exists a deep contemplation about how we choose to love one another.
A Debut Feature Delving into Relationship Dynamics
Together is the debut feature-length film for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It stars the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as a couple named Tim and Millie, a pair who are not married that have stayed together for over ten years. Having wed in reality in 2017, the two stars bring a particular energy to their roles, expertly portraying both the joys and frustrations of a long-term relationship.
The story commences when Millie and Tim relocate from the metropolis to the rural area for her career. A familiar story element, admittedly, but that’s largely where the tropes end. Together becomes as much a deep dive into the psyche of the pair’s relationship as it is a film about physical terror.
A Paranormal Spark
While walking near their country house, a storm hits, and the protagonists discover an hole in the earth. After a night spent there and managing to escape, a mysterious influence takes hold of the couple. This force compels a otherworldly bond between them that goes well past emotional intimacy.
The whole movie is a methodically building of scares, blending bits of fever-dream horrors, disturbing (but tastefully done) body horror, and genuinely funny interactions (sometimes amidst something grotesque). Michael Shanks orchestrates these parts seamlessly and presents them in a gradually swelling atmosphere of fear.
Nuanced Portrayals
A significant portion of Together is exclusively the two lead actors, and they masterfully render manifold depths to the partnership at the film's core. Millie's sense of self and sense of connection is waning due to a distance. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his hesitance to pursue anything but his struggling artistic pursuits gradually emerges.
Conversely, Tim feels trapped and cut off by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve left the city and distant from his social circle. He fears the idea of completely losing his individual identity in his partner. This fear is intensified by the reality he can’t drive and needs Millie for mobility.
The director's cleverest decision in this movie avoids making one partner or the other the definite antagonist.
Tim and Millie confront the sort of issues that are inherent in most partnerships over a long period. Deep down, they continue to care for each other. They still laugh together, offer support, and open up at times. But beneath it all, there’s an persistent feeling of questioning about their relationship.
Allegory and Meaning
While the paranormal elements in Together act as a metaphor for these concerns of excessive reliance and totally devoting oneself to another person, the symbolism never feels clumsy or heavy-handed. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments present a ideal counterpart to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the frights and the fights enhance each other in harmony.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s ending, which remains unspoiled, has created disagreement on the story's concluding statement about codependent relationships. It has been said that those not in relationships have interpreted the film as a strong argument for avoiding commitment. Conversely, a few pairs experiencing tension found that the film ultimately assisted them reconcile.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own interpretation could act as a revealing measure of how you view relationships. Will the conclusion plant feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you recognize your own traits in Tim or Millie and scream at your TV, or simply turn to your other half and utter, “I’d do that for you”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an test you can embark on at this very moment.
Together is available to watch on the streaming service Hulu now.
