Consider this a test for those in enduring partnerships who are fans of scary movies: Get comfortable with your loved one and stream Together. The independent film success of 2025 recently had its streaming debut on Hulu. On the surface, it could look like conventional physical horror, but inside Together lies a deep contemplation about how we choose to love our partners.
An Introductory Film Investigating The Nuances of Love
Together represents the debut feature-length film for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It stars the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Tim and Millie, an unmarried couple that have been together for over ten years. Married in real life in 2017, Franco and Brie bring a unique chemistry to their characters, skillfully embodying both the strengths and weaknesses of a enduring union.
The story begins when the couple transition from the metropolis to the rural area for Millie’s job. A somewhat stereotypical narrative setup, of course, but that’s primarily where the tropes conclude. Together transforms 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 the protagonists discover an subterranean cavern. After being trapped overnight there and managing to escape, a strange force begins influencing the couple. This force induces a otherworldly bond between them that goes exceeding emotional intimacy.
The whole movie is a slow burn horror experience, weaving in moments of fever-dream horrors, unsettling (but tastefully done) physical transformations, and authentically humorous interactions (sometimes during something disturbing). Shanks orchestrates these parts seamlessly and wraps them up in a slowly mounting aura of dread.
Nuanced Portrayals
A great deal of Together is exclusively Brie and Franco, and they deftly portray numerous complexities to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Millie’s confidence and feeling of intimacy is deteriorating due to a emotional and physical gap. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his reluctance to focus on anything other than his struggling artistic pursuits gradually emerges.
In contrast, Tim's character feels trapped and cut off by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve left the city and far away from his support system. He dreads the idea of completely losing his individual identity in another person. This fear is further exacerbated by the circumstance he can’t drive and is dependent on Millie for transportation.
Shanks’ smartest move is that he avoids making either of his characters the obvious villain.
The couple confront the kind of problems that come with most partnerships after ten years. At their core, they have affection for each other. They share moments of joy, comfort one another, and share intimately at times. But beneath it all, there’s an persistent feeling of questioning about their bond.
Thematic Depth
While the paranormal elements in Together represent these concerns of excessive reliance and fully committing to a partner, the allegory does not come across as hamfisted or heavy-handed. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes offer a brilliant analogue to the character-driven drama. Both the horror and the drama work together symbiotically.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s ending, which remains unspoiled, has left audiences divided on the film’s ultimate message about enmeshed dynamics. It has been said that unattached audience members have understood the narrative as a compelling reason for remaining unattached. On the other hand, a few pairs who were in conflict found that the film ultimately assisted them make up.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own response could potentially serve as a great barometer of how you view relationships. Will the finale sow anxiety and horror, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you see yourself in Tim or Millie and scream at your TV, or simply look at your partner and say, “I understand that choice”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an exploration you can embark on right now.
Together is streaming on the streaming service Hulu as of this moment.
