Here's a test for those in enduring partnerships who are fans of the horror genre: Sit down with your partner and watch Together. The independent film success of 2025 has now made its streaming debut on the Hulu service. On the surface, it might appear like conventional physical horror, but beneath Together resides a profound contemplation about the ways we decide to love each other.
A Directorial Debut Exploring The Nuances of Love
Together represents the first full-length movie for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It showcases Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Tim and Millie, a pair who are not married that have remained a couple for ten years. Having wed in reality in 2017, the actors contribute a particular energy to their characters, expertly portraying both the strengths and weaknesses of a long-term relationship.
The plot starts when the couple relocate from the urban environment to the rural area for professional reasons. A somewhat stereotypical story element, sure, but that’s mostly where the tropes end. Together transforms into as much a psychological exploration of the partnership as it is a movie featuring biological frights.
A Paranormal Spark
While walking near their rural residence, a violent storm occurs, and the protagonists tumble into an underground cave. After being trapped overnight there and managing to escape, a strange force starts to affect the duo. This force compels a paranormal intimacy between them that goes exceeding simple connection.
The complete narrative is a gradually intensifying of scares, weaving in bits of hallucinatory nightmares, disturbing (but never too gross) body horror, and surprisingly comedic dialogue (sometimes in the middle of something disturbing). Shanks weaves these elements together seamlessly and delivers them in a gradually swelling atmosphere of fear.
Layered Performances
A significant portion of Together is only the two lead actors, and they masterfully render numerous complexities to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Millie's sense of self and emotional bond is deteriorating due to a lack of intimacy. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his reluctance to pursue anything but his struggling artistic pursuits gradually emerges.
In contrast, Tim's character feels trapped and isolated by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve moved to the country and removed from his support system. He dreads the idea of totally forfeiting his individual identity in Millie. This fear is amplified by the reality he does not operate a vehicle and relies on Millie for transportation.
The film's most intelligent aspect in this movie never makes either of his characters the clear bad guy.
Tim and Millie grapple with the kind of problems that come with most partnerships a decade in. Deep down, they continue to care for one another. They still laugh together, comfort one another, and share intimately at times. But beneath it all, there’s an inescapable current of uncertainty about their future together.
Thematic Depth
While the paranormal elements in Together act as a metaphor for these concerns of codependency and giving oneself over to another person, the symbolism never feels overly obvious or pretentious. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes present a perfect parallel to the character-driven drama. Both the supernatural and the personal enhance each other symbiotically.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s conclusion, which is best experienced firsthand, has sparked debate on the film’s ultimate message about unhealthy partnerships. Accounts suggest that single viewers have understood the narrative as a powerful case for avoiding commitment. Conversely, certain partners experiencing tension found that the film ended up guiding them to resolve their issues.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own response could potentially serve as a revealing measure of how you view relationships. Will the conclusion sow feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you recognize your own traits in either protagonist and yell at the screen, or simply turn to your other half and utter, “We could get through that together”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an exploration you can embark on today.
Together is streaming on Hulu now.
