Here's a challenge for long-term couples who are fans of scary movies: Sit down with your partner and stream Together. This independent film success of 2025 just made its streaming debut on the Hulu service. Outwardly, it might appear like conventional biological terror, but beneath Together exists a deep examination about how we choose to love each other.
An Introductory Film Investigating The Nuances of Love
Together is the first full-length movie for director Michael Shanks. It showcases the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as a couple named Tim and Millie, partners that have stayed together for a decade. Married in actuality in 2017, the actors bring a special spark to their portrayals, masterfully depicting both the good and bad of a enduring union.
The plot commences when the couple transition from the big city to the rural area for Millie’s job. A familiar narrative setup, sure, but that’s mostly where the cliches cease. Together becomes as much a deep dive into the psyche of the pair’s relationship as it is a body horror flick.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While walking near their new home, a storm hits, and the two tumble into an hole in the earth. After being trapped overnight there and managing to escape, a mysterious influence takes hold of the couple. This force induces a otherworldly bond between them that goes well past simple connection.
The entire film is a methodically building horror experience, blending moments of fever-dream horrors, gross (but never too gross) physical transformations, and surprisingly comedic dialogue (sometimes during something disturbing). Michael Shanks weaves these elements together neatly and delivers them in a gradually swelling sense of impending doom.
Layered Performances
A significant portion of Together is solely the performances of its stars, and they masterfully render manifold depths to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Millie's sense of self and feeling of intimacy is waning due to a lack of intimacy. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his hesitance to chase only his failing musical ambitions slowly bubbles to the surface.
Conversely, Tim feels trapped and cut off by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve relocated rural and removed from his support system. He dreads the idea of utterly sacrificing his personal autonomy in his partner. This fear is amplified by the reality he can’t drive and relies on Millie for mobility.
The director's cleverest decision in Together refrains from painting Tim or Millie the definite antagonist.
Tim and Millie confront the sort of issues that come with any relationship after ten years. At their core, they continue to care for one another. They find humor with each other, provide solace, and share intimately at times. But under the surface, there’s an inescapable feeling of questioning about their future together.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the supernatural forces in Together act as a metaphor for these anxieties of codependency and totally devoting oneself to a partner, the metaphor never feels overly obvious or pretentious. Instead, these visceral horror elements offer a ideal counterpart to the character-driven drama. Both the frights and the fights enhance each other in harmony.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s final act, which remains unspoiled, has left audiences divided on the movie's final takeaway about unhealthy partnerships. Accounts suggest that those not in relationships have seen the movie as a compelling reason for remaining unattached. On the other hand, some couples having disagreements found that the film ended up guiding them to make up.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own interpretation could potentially serve as a revealing measure of how you perceive partnership. Will the conclusion inspire anxiety and horror, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you recognize your own traits in Tim or Millie and yell at the screen, or simply glance toward your other half and utter, “I’d do that for you”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an test you can undertake right now.
Together is available to watch on the streaming service Hulu as of this moment.
