Consider this a test for partners in committed relationships who enjoy the horror genre: Sit down with your significant other and watch Together. This independent film success of 2025 recently had its streaming debut on Hulu. Outwardly, it could look like conventional biological terror, but inside Together resides a deep meditation about how we choose to love our partners.
A Directorial Debut Delving into Partnership Complexities
Together marks the first full-length movie for director Michael Shanks. It features the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Tim and Millie, a pair who are not married that have stayed together for a decade. Married in real life in 2017, the actors contribute a special spark to their roles, masterfully depicting both the strengths and weaknesses of a enduring union.
The plot starts when the couple move from the big city to the countryside for professional reasons. A familiar plot device, sure, but that’s largely where the conventions cease. Together evolves into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the couple's dynamic as it is a film about physical terror.
A Paranormal Spark
While trekking near their new home, a violent storm occurs, and Millie and Tim discover an hole in the earth. After spending the night there and finally finding a way out, a supernatural entity starts to affect the couple. This force compels a paranormal intimacy between them that goes well past simple connection.
The whole movie is a slow burn horror experience, interspersing moments of hallucinatory nightmares, disturbing (but not excessively graphic) body horror, and surprisingly comedic exchanges (sometimes during something horrific). Michael Shanks orchestrates these parts expertly and presents them in a consistently growing aura of dread.
Nuanced Portrayals
A large part of Together is exclusively the two lead actors, and they skillfully illustrate numerous complexities to the partnership at the film's core. Her self-assurance and feeling of intimacy is deteriorating due to a distance. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his hesitance to pursue anything but his failing musical ambitions gradually emerges.
Conversely, Tim feels trapped and cut off by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve relocated rural and far away from his social circle. He fears the idea of completely losing his sense of self in his partner. This fear is amplified by the fact he does not operate a vehicle and needs Millie for mobility.
Shanks’ smartest move is that he avoids making Tim or Millie the obvious villain.
Both characters confront the sort of issues that come with any relationship a decade in. Deep down, they have affection for each other. They share moments of joy, provide solace, and share intimately at times. But beneath it all, there’s an persistent undercurrent of doubt about their future together.
Allegory and Meaning
While the otherworldly presence in Together act as a metaphor for these fears of excessive reliance and fully committing to a partner, the symbolism never feels overly obvious or heavy-handed. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes offer a ideal counterpart to the character-driven drama. Both the horror and the drama work together in harmony.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s ending, which is best experienced firsthand, has sparked debate on the story's concluding statement about enmeshed dynamics. It has been said that those not in relationships have interpreted the film as a powerful case for remaining unattached. On the other hand, certain partners having disagreements found that the film ultimately assisted them reconcile.
Whether you’re single or coupled up, your own interpretation could function as a great barometer of how you think about commitment. Will the conclusion sow a sense of discomfort and fear, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you identify in Tim or Millie and feel frustration, or simply glance toward your partner and state, “I’d do that for you”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an experiment you can embark on right now.
Together is streaming on Hulu's platform as of this moment.
