Consider this a test for long-term couples who enjoy horror films: Settle in with your loved one and stream Together. The critically acclaimed 2025 movie just made its online premiere on Hulu. At first glance, it could look like conventional physical horror, but beneath Together lies a deep contemplation about how we choose to love our partners.
A Directorial Debut Exploring Relationship Dynamics
Together marks the first full-length movie for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It stars the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Millie and Tim, a pair who are not married that have stayed together for over ten years. Having wed in actuality in 2017, the two stars infuse a unique chemistry to their roles, masterfully depicting both the good and bad of a enduring union.
The plot starts when Tim and Millie transition from the urban environment to the countryside for her career. A familiar story element, sure, but that’s largely where the tropes cease. Together transforms into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the couple's dynamic as it is a body horror flick.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While walking near their new home, a tempest descends, and the two tumble into an hole in the earth. After spending the night there and finally finding a way out, a strange force takes hold of the couple. This force compels a supernatural closeness between them that goes well past simple connection.
The entire film is a methodically building fright fest, weaving in moments of dreamlike terrors, gross (but tastefully done) biological grotesqueries, and genuinely funny dialogue (sometimes in the middle of something horrific). The director weaves these elements together seamlessly and delivers them in a gradually swelling sense of impending doom.
Complex Characterizations
A large part of Together is solely Brie and Franco, and they deftly portray countless layers to the characters’ relationship. Her self-assurance and feeling of intimacy is waning due to a distance. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his hesitance to pursue anything but his struggling artistic pursuits inexorably rises.
Tim, on the other hand experiences isolation and cut off by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve relocated rural and removed from his support system. He dreads the notion of completely losing his individual identity in another person. This fear is further exacerbated by the circumstance he can’t drive and relies on Millie for transportation.
Shanks’ smartest move in Together avoids making Tim or Millie the definite antagonist.
Both characters grapple with the sort of issues that arise in most partnerships after ten years. At their core, they continue to care for one another. They still laugh together, comfort one another, and open up at times. But below this facade, there’s an persistent undercurrent of doubt about their bond.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the paranormal elements in Together represent these fears of codependency and totally devoting oneself to a partner, the metaphor does not come across as clumsy or heavy-handed. Instead, these visceral horror elements offer a brilliant analogue to the relationship narrative. Both the frights and the fights enhance each other in a mutually beneficial way.
A Debated Finale
Together’s conclusion, which won’t be spoiled here, has left audiences divided on the film’s ultimate message about enmeshed dynamics. It has been said that unattached audience members have seen the movie as a compelling reason for remaining unattached. Conversely, a few pairs who were in conflict found that the film ended up guiding them to resolve their issues.
Whether you’re single or coupled up, your own interpretation could potentially serve as a great barometer of how you perceive partnership. Will the conclusion inspire feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you see yourself in Tim or Millie and yell at the screen, or simply look at your other half and state, “I’d do that for you”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an test you can undertake right now.
Together is available to watch on Hulu's platform as of this moment.
