Consider this a test for those in enduring partnerships who are fans of horror films: Settle in with your partner and stream Together. The independent film success of 2025 just made its launch on a streaming platform via Hulu. On the surface, it might appear like typical body horror, but within Together lies a profound contemplation about our choices in loving one another.
An Introductory Film Delving into The Nuances of Love
Together is the first full-length movie for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It stars the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Millie and Tim, a pair who are not married that have been together for over ten years. Having wed in real life in 2017, Franco and Brie infuse a unique chemistry to their portrayals, masterfully depicting both the good and bad of a enduring union.
The story commences when Tim and Millie transition from the big city to the rural area for her career. A somewhat stereotypical plot device, sure, but that’s mostly where the tropes 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.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While walking near their country house, a storm hits, and the protagonists fall into an underground cave. After spending the night there and eventually escaping, a supernatural entity takes hold of the couple. This force induces a otherworldly bond between them that goes well past simple connection.
The whole movie is a gradually intensifying fright fest, blending elements of fever-dream horrors, gross (but tastefully done) biological grotesqueries, and genuinely funny dialogue (sometimes during something disturbing). Michael Shanks orchestrates these parts expertly and wraps them up in a consistently growing sense of impending doom.
Layered Performances
A great deal of Together is exclusively the two lead actors, and they masterfully render manifold depths to the characters’ relationship. Millie’s confidence and sense of connection is waning due to a distance. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his hesitance to chase only his struggling artistic pursuits gradually emerges.
In contrast, Tim's character senses confinement and separated by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve moved to the country and removed from his support system. He is terrified of the concept of utterly sacrificing his individual identity in Millie. This fear is intensified by the circumstance he lacks a driver's license and relies on Millie for mobility.
The director's cleverest decision in Together avoids making either of his characters the clear bad guy.
Both characters face the sort of issues that arise in any relationship after ten years. 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 unavoidable current of uncertainty about their bond.
Thematic Depth
While the paranormal elements in Together represent these concerns of unhealthy attachment and giving oneself over to another person, the allegory never feels clumsy or self-important. Instead, these visceral horror elements offer a perfect parallel to the relationship narrative. Both the supernatural and the personal serve the other in a mutually beneficial way.
A Debated Finale
Together’s final act, which is best experienced firsthand, has created disagreement on the film’s ultimate message about enmeshed dynamics. It has been said that unattached audience members have interpreted the film as a powerful case for avoiding commitment. Conversely, a few pairs who were in conflict found that the film ended up guiding them to reconcile.
Whether you’re single or coupled up, your own reaction could function as a great barometer of how you view relationships. Will the finale inspire feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you see yourself in Tim or Millie and feel frustration, or simply look at your partner and utter, “I’d do that for you”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an test you can embark on right now.
Together is available to watch on the streaming service Hulu as of this moment.
