Here's a dare for partners in committed relationships who enjoy horror films: Get comfortable with your significant other and view Together. This independent film success of 2025 recently had its streaming debut on the Hulu service. At first glance, it might appear like typical biological terror, but inside Together exists a intense examination about how we choose to love each other.
A Directorial Debut Investigating The Nuances of Love
Together marks the first full-length movie for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It showcases the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Tim and Millie, an unmarried couple that have remained a couple for a decade. United in marriage in real life in 2017, Franco and Brie infuse a particular energy to their portrayals, masterfully depicting both the joys and frustrations of a enduring union.
The story begins when Millie and Tim move from the big city to the country for her career. A commonly used story element, of course, but that’s mostly where the tropes end. 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 walking near their new home, a storm hits, and the two tumble into an subterranean cavern. After being trapped overnight there and finally finding a way out, a mysterious influence starts to affect the pair. This force induces a otherworldly bond between them that goes well past emotional intimacy.
The whole movie is a methodically building of scares, weaving in bits of dreamlike terrors, gross (but not excessively graphic) body horror, and genuinely funny interactions (sometimes amidst something disturbing). Shanks orchestrates these parts expertly and delivers them in a gradually swelling atmosphere of fear.
Nuanced Portrayals
A large part of Together is exclusively the performances of its stars, and they skillfully illustrate countless layers to the characters’ relationship. Millie’s confidence and emotional bond is waning due to a distance. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his hesitance to chase only his struggling artistic pursuits slowly bubbles to the surface.
In contrast, Tim's character senses confinement and separated by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve relocated rural and distant from his social circle. He dreads the idea of completely losing his sense of self in Millie. This fear is further exacerbated by the reality he lacks a driver's license and is dependent on Millie for transportation.
Shanks’ smartest move is that he never makes one partner or the other the clear bad guy.
Both characters face the sort of issues that come with long-term unions after ten years. Deep down, they still love each other. They find humor with each other, comfort one another, and share intimately at times. But under the surface, there’s an unavoidable current of uncertainty about their future together.
Thematic Depth
While the paranormal elements in Together act as a metaphor for these concerns of unhealthy attachment and fully committing to a partner, the symbolism avoids being overly obvious or pretentious. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes present a perfect parallel to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the horror and the drama work together in a mutually beneficial way.
A Debated Finale
Together’s ending, which is best experienced firsthand, has sparked debate on the story's concluding statement about codependent relationships. Reports indicate that unattached audience members have interpreted the film as a compelling reason for staying single. On the other hand, a few pairs having disagreements found that the film ended up guiding them to resolve their issues.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own interpretation could potentially serve as a great barometer of how you think about commitment. Will the finale plant anxiety and horror, or a positive outlook on love? Will you identify in either protagonist and yell at the screen, or simply turn to your partner and utter, “I understand that choice”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an experiment you can embark on at this very moment.
Together is streaming on Hulu's platform now.
