Consider this a challenge for those in enduring partnerships who are fans of horror films: Settle in with your partner and stream Together. The 2025 indie hit has now made its launch on a streaming platform on the Hulu service. Outwardly, it may seem like conventional physical horror, but beneath Together exists a profound contemplation about our choices in loving one another.
An Introductory Film Exploring The Nuances of Love
Together marks the introductory feature for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It features Dave Franco and Alison Brie as a couple named Tim and Millie, partners that have stayed together for over ten years. United in marriage in real life in 2017, the two stars bring a unique chemistry to their roles, expertly portraying both the strengths and weaknesses of a long-term relationship.
The plot begins when Tim and Millie move from the big city to the countryside for her career. A familiar narrative setup, sure, but that’s primarily where the conventions end. Together transforms into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the partnership as it is a film about physical terror.
A Paranormal Spark
While walking near their rural residence, a storm hits, and Millie and Tim discover an underground cave. After a night spent there and eventually escaping, a strange force starts to affect the pair. This force compels a otherworldly bond between them that goes exceeding typical partnership.
The entire film is a slow burn of scares, weaving in moments of dreamlike terrors, unsettling (but never too gross) body horror, and genuinely funny dialogue (sometimes in the middle of something grotesque). Shanks weaves these elements together neatly and wraps them up in a slowly mounting atmosphere of fear.
Complex Characterizations
A great deal of Together is exclusively Brie and Franco, and they deftly portray countless layers to the partnership at the film's core. Millie’s confidence and feeling of intimacy is suffering due to a lack of intimacy. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his reluctance to chase only his struggling artistic pursuits slowly bubbles to the surface.
In contrast, Tim's character senses confinement and separated by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve relocated rural and removed from his support system. He dreads the notion of utterly sacrificing his personal autonomy in Millie. This fear is intensified by the reality he lacks a driver's license and relies on Millie for mobility.
Shanks’ smartest move in Together avoids making either of his characters the definite antagonist.
Tim and Millie grapple with the kind of problems that arise in any relationship after ten years. Fundamentally, they still love each other. They still laugh together, comfort one another, and are vulnerable at times. But below this facade, there’s an inescapable undercurrent of doubt about their future together.
Thematic Depth
While the supernatural forces in Together act as a metaphor for these fears of unhealthy attachment and totally devoting oneself to a partner, the metaphor never feels hamfisted or pretentious. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments provide a ideal counterpart to the character-driven drama. Both the frights and the fights serve the other in a mutually beneficial way.
A Debated Finale
Together’s final act, which won’t be spoiled here, has created disagreement on the story's concluding statement about codependent relationships. It has been said that unattached audience members have interpreted the film as a powerful case for staying single. Meanwhile, certain partners experiencing tension found that the film ended up guiding them to resolve their issues.
Whether you’re single or coupled up, your own reaction could function as a revealing measure of how you perceive partnership. Will the ending inspire a sense of discomfort and fear, or a positive outlook on love? Will you recognize your own traits in Tim or Millie and scream at your TV, or simply turn to your partner and say, “We could get through that together”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an experiment you can undertake today.
Together is streaming on the streaming service Hulu at present.
