We present a dare for those in enduring partnerships who enjoy horror films: Settle in with your partner and view Together. The independent film success of 2025 just made its launch on a streaming platform on Hulu. On the surface, it could look like typical physical horror, but inside Together lies a deep contemplation about our choices in loving our partners.
A Debut Feature Delving into Partnership Complexities
Together represents the first full-length movie for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It features actors Alison Brie and Dave Franco as Millie and Tim, an unmarried couple that have been together for over ten years. United in marriage in actuality in 2017, Franco and Brie bring a unique chemistry to their roles, masterfully depicting both the good and bad of a long-term relationship.
The story starts when the couple transition from the urban environment to the country for professional reasons. A commonly used narrative setup, of course, but that’s largely where the conventions conclude. Together becomes as much a psychological exploration of the partnership as it is a film about physical terror.
A Paranormal Spark
While hiking near their country house, a storm hits, and Millie and Tim fall into an subterranean cavern. After being trapped overnight there and finally finding a way out, a supernatural entity starts to affect the pair. This force induces a paranormal intimacy between them that goes well past simple connection.
The entire film is a methodically building of scares, blending moments of hallucinatory nightmares, gross (but never too gross) body horror, and authentically humorous interactions (sometimes in the middle of something disturbing). Shanks orchestrates these parts seamlessly and presents them in a consistently growing sense of impending doom.
Nuanced Portrayals
A significant portion of Together is exclusively Brie and Franco, and they masterfully render manifold depths to the characters’ relationship. Millie's sense of self and sense of connection is suffering due to a emotional and physical gap. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his unwillingness to pursue anything but his failing musical ambitions slowly bubbles to the surface.
In contrast, Tim's character feels trapped and cut off by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve moved to the country and removed from his support system. He dreads the concept of totally forfeiting his sense of self in another person. This fear is intensified by the circumstance he lacks a driver's license and relies on Millie for transportation.
Shanks’ smartest move is that he avoids making Tim or Millie the obvious villain.
The couple grapple with the kind of problems that come with any relationship after ten years. At their core, they still love one another. They still laugh together, offer support, and open up at times. But beneath it all, there’s an persistent feeling of questioning about their relationship.
Allegory and Meaning
While the otherworldly presence in Together act as a metaphor for these fears of unhealthy attachment and giving oneself over to a partner, the symbolism does not come across as clumsy or heavy-handed. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes offer a perfect parallel to the relationship narrative. 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 movie's final takeaway about enmeshed dynamics. It has been said that unattached audience members have seen the movie as a strong argument for remaining unattached. Conversely, some couples experiencing tension found that the film actually helped them reconcile.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own response could function as a telling indicator of how you view relationships. Will the conclusion plant feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you see yourself in Tim or Millie and yell at the screen, or simply look at your partner and say, “I’d do that for you”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an test you can embark on right now.
Together is available to watch on Hulu's platform now.
