We present a dare for those in enduring partnerships who enjoy the horror genre: Sit down with your loved one and stream Together. This independent film success of 2025 just made its online premiere via Hulu. At first glance, it could look like standard body horror, but inside Together resides a deep examination about how we choose to love our partners.
A Directorial Debut Exploring Relationship Dynamics
Together is the first full-length movie for director Michael Shanks. It features the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Tim and Millie, partners that have stayed together for ten years. Having wed in actuality in 2017, the actors infuse a particular energy to their characters, skillfully embodying both the joys and frustrations of a long-term relationship.
The narrative starts when Millie and Tim move from the urban environment to the country for her career. A somewhat stereotypical plot device, sure, but that’s largely where the cliches conclude. Together evolves into as much a psychological exploration of the pair’s relationship as it is a movie featuring biological frights.
A Paranormal Spark
While trekking near their new home, a violent storm occurs, and the protagonists tumble into an hole in the earth. After a night spent there and eventually escaping, a strange force takes hold of the pair. This force creates a supernatural closeness between them that goes well past emotional intimacy.
The complete narrative is a gradually intensifying fright fest, interspersing bits of fever-dream horrors, gross (but not excessively graphic) biological grotesqueries, and surprisingly comedic interactions (sometimes in the middle of something disturbing). The director skillfully blends these components expertly and delivers them in a consistently growing atmosphere of fear.
Nuanced Portrayals
A large part of Together is only Brie and Franco, and they skillfully illustrate numerous complexities to the partnership at the film's core. Millie's sense of self and sense of connection is waning due to a distance. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his reluctance to chase only his floundering music career slowly bubbles to the surface.
Tim, on the other hand experiences isolation and separated by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve moved to the country and distant from his network of friends. He fears the concept of completely losing his sense of self in Millie. This fear is amplified by the fact he lacks a driver's license and relies on Millie for getting around.
The director's cleverest decision in this movie never makes Tim or Millie the definite antagonist.
The couple grapple with the kind of problems that are inherent in any relationship over a long period. At their core, they have affection for each other. They find humor with each other, provide solace, and share intimately at times. But below this facade, there’s an unavoidable feeling of questioning about their future together.
Allegory and Meaning
While the otherworldly presence in Together symbolize these fears of unhealthy attachment and totally devoting oneself to a partner, the allegory avoids being overly obvious or heavy-handed. Instead, these visceral horror elements present a ideal counterpart to the character-driven drama. Both the supernatural and the personal work together in harmony.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s final act, which remains unspoiled, has sparked debate on the film’s ultimate message about codependent relationships. Accounts suggest that single viewers have understood the narrative as a powerful case for staying single. Meanwhile, some couples experiencing tension found that the film ultimately assisted them reconcile.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own reaction could act as a revealing measure of how you view relationships. Will the conclusion plant a sense of discomfort and fear, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you identify in either protagonist and scream at your TV, or simply turn to your other half and utter, “I’d do that for you”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an exploration you can embark on at this very moment.
Together is streaming on the streaming service Hulu at present.
