We present a test for long-term couples who enjoy horror films: Settle in with your partner and view Together. This independent film success of 2025 has now made its streaming debut on the Hulu service. Outwardly, it could look like conventional physical horror, but beneath Together exists a intense meditation about how we choose to love each other.
A Directorial Debut Delving into Relationship Dynamics
Together marks the debut feature-length film for director Michael Shanks. It stars Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Millie and Tim, an unmarried couple that have remained a couple for a decade. United in marriage in real life in 2017, the two stars bring a unique chemistry to their characters, expertly portraying both the good and bad of a enduring union.
The plot begins when the couple move from the metropolis to the country for professional reasons. A familiar plot device, sure, but that’s largely where the cliches cease. Together becomes as much a deep dive into the psyche of the couple's dynamic as it is a body horror flick.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While walking near their new home, a tempest descends, and Millie and Tim tumble into an subterranean cavern. After being trapped overnight there and managing to escape, a strange force begins influencing the pair. This force compels a paranormal intimacy between them that goes well past typical partnership.
The entire film is a gradually intensifying of scares, blending moments of fever-dream horrors, disturbing (but never too gross) physical transformations, and genuinely funny interactions (sometimes amidst something horrific). The director weaves these elements together neatly and presents them in a gradually swelling atmosphere of fear.
Nuanced Portrayals
A significant portion of Together is only Brie and Franco, and they masterfully render countless layers to the characters’ relationship. Millie’s confidence and feeling of intimacy is deteriorating due to a emotional and physical gap. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his unwillingness to focus on anything other than his struggling artistic pursuits gradually emerges.
In contrast, Tim's character experiences isolation and isolated by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve relocated rural and removed from his social circle. He dreads the notion of utterly sacrificing his personal autonomy in Millie. This fear is further exacerbated by the reality he can’t drive and needs Millie for getting around.
Shanks’ smartest move in this movie avoids making one partner or the other the clear bad guy.
Both characters grapple with the sort of issues that arise in long-term unions over a long period. Deep down, they still love each other. They still laugh together, offer support, and open up at times. But below this facade, there’s an unavoidable feeling of questioning about their bond.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the supernatural forces in Together represent these concerns of codependency and fully committing to another person, the metaphor does not come across as overly obvious or pretentious. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments present a brilliant analogue to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the frights and the fights work together in a mutually beneficial way.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s conclusion, which remains unspoiled, has created disagreement on the story's concluding statement about unhealthy partnerships. Reports indicate that single viewers have seen the movie as a compelling reason for staying single. Conversely, some couples who were in conflict found that the film ended up guiding them to make up.
Whether you’re single or coupled up, your own reaction could function as a great barometer of how you view relationships. Will the conclusion plant feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you identify in either protagonist and yell at the screen, or simply turn to your significant other and say, “I’d do that for you”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an test you can undertake at this very moment.
Together is available to watch on Hulu's platform now.
