We present a dare for long-term couples who are fans of horror films: Settle in with your loved one and stream Together. The independent film success of 2025 has now made its online premiere on Hulu. On the surface, it may seem like conventional body horror, but inside Together exists a profound contemplation about the ways we decide to love our partners.
An Introductory Film Investigating Partnership Complexities
Together represents the debut feature-length film for director Michael Shanks. It showcases Dave Franco and Alison Brie as a couple named Tim and Millie, a pair who are not married that have been together for ten years. Married in reality in 2017, Franco and Brie contribute a particular energy to their portrayals, expertly portraying both the good and bad of a committed partnership.
The narrative commences when Tim and Millie move from the urban environment to the rural area for her career. A somewhat stereotypical story element, admittedly, but that’s largely where the cliches conclude. Together evolves into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the partnership as it is a movie featuring biological frights.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While trekking near their rural residence, a storm hits, and the protagonists tumble into an underground cave. After a night spent there and managing to escape, a mysterious influence begins influencing the pair. This force induces a supernatural closeness between them that goes far beyond emotional intimacy.
The entire film is a gradually intensifying horror experience, blending bits of hallucinatory nightmares, gross (but never too gross) physical transformations, and surprisingly comedic interactions (sometimes during something disturbing). Shanks orchestrates these parts seamlessly and wraps them up in a gradually swelling sense of impending doom.
Nuanced Portrayals
A significant portion of Together is only Brie and Franco, and they deftly portray manifold depths to the characters’ relationship. Millie's sense of self and sense of connection is suffering due to a lack of intimacy. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his reluctance to focus on anything other than his failing musical ambitions gradually emerges.
In contrast, Tim's character senses confinement and isolated by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve left the city and far away from his support system. He dreads the idea of utterly sacrificing his sense of self in his partner. This fear is amplified by the circumstance he lacks a driver's license and needs Millie for mobility.
Shanks’ smartest move is that he refrains from painting either of his characters the clear bad guy.
The couple face the kind of problems that are inherent in most partnerships over a long period. Fundamentally, they have affection for one another. They find humor with each other, offer support, and are vulnerable at times. But below this facade, there’s an persistent current of uncertainty about their future together.
Allegory and Meaning
While the supernatural forces in Together symbolize these fears of excessive reliance and fully committing to a partner, the metaphor never feels clumsy or pretentious. Instead, these visceral horror elements offer a perfect parallel to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the supernatural and the personal serve the other symbiotically.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s ending, which is best experienced firsthand, has left audiences divided on the story's concluding statement about codependent relationships. Reports indicate that unattached audience members have seen the movie as a compelling reason for staying single. On the other hand, some couples experiencing tension found that the film ended up guiding them to resolve their issues.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own reaction could potentially serve as a revealing measure of how you perceive partnership. Will the ending sow anxiety and horror, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you see yourself in one of the characters and scream at your TV, or simply look at your partner and utter, “I understand that choice”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an exploration you can embark on at this very moment.
Together is currently playing on Hulu's platform as of this moment.
