Consider this a test for those in enduring partnerships who are fans of horror films: Sit down with your loved one and watch Together. This independent film success of 2025 has now made its launch on a streaming platform on Hulu. On the surface, it might appear like standard physical horror, but within Together exists a intense examination about our choices in loving our partners.
A Directorial Debut Investigating The Nuances of Love
Together marks the first full-length movie for director Michael Shanks. It showcases Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Tim and Millie, an unmarried couple that have remained a couple for over ten years. Married in real life in 2017, Franco and Brie contribute a particular energy to their characters, expertly portraying both the strengths and weaknesses of a committed partnership.
The story begins when Millie and Tim move from the big city to the country for Millie’s job. A commonly used story element, admittedly, but that’s primarily where the cliches end. Together evolves into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the pair’s relationship as it is a body horror flick.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While hiking near their new home, a violent storm occurs, and the two tumble into an hole in the earth. After a night spent there and finally finding a way out, a strange force starts to affect the duo. This force creates a otherworldly bond between them that goes well past simple connection.
The entire film is a slow burn of scares, interspersing moments of fever-dream horrors, gross (but not excessively graphic) physical transformations, and surprisingly comedic dialogue (sometimes in the middle of something horrific). Michael Shanks weaves these elements together seamlessly and delivers them in a slowly mounting aura of dread.
Complex Characterizations
A significant portion of Together is exclusively Brie and Franco, and they masterfully render numerous complexities to the partnership at the film's core. Millie’s confidence and feeling of intimacy is deteriorating due to a emotional and physical gap. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his hesitance to pursue anything but his struggling artistic pursuits slowly bubbles to the surface.
In contrast, Tim's character feels trapped and separated by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve relocated rural and removed from his social circle. He fears the concept of totally forfeiting his personal autonomy in another person. This fear is intensified by the reality he does not operate a vehicle and is dependent on Millie for mobility.
The director's cleverest decision in Together never makes one partner or the other the obvious villain.
Tim and Millie face the sort of issues that arise in long-term unions a decade in. Fundamentally, they have affection for one another. They still laugh together, provide solace, and open up at times. But below this facade, there’s an unavoidable current of uncertainty about their relationship.
Allegory and Meaning
While the supernatural forces in Together symbolize these anxieties of codependency and fully committing to a partner, the metaphor never feels overly obvious or heavy-handed. Instead, these visceral horror elements offer a ideal counterpart to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the supernatural and the personal serve the other in harmony.
A Debated Finale
Together’s ending, which won’t be spoiled here, has created disagreement on the film’s ultimate message about unhealthy partnerships. It has been said that single viewers have seen the movie as a powerful case for avoiding commitment. Conversely, certain partners experiencing tension found that the film ended up guiding them to resolve their issues.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own response could potentially serve as a telling indicator of how you think about commitment. Will the conclusion inspire feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you recognize your own traits in either protagonist and yell at the screen, or simply turn to your partner and say, “I understand that choice”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an experiment you can embark on at this very moment.
Together is currently playing on Hulu's platform at present.
