Here's a challenge for long-term couples who are fans of the horror genre: Get comfortable with your partner and view Together. This 2025 indie hit just made its launch on a streaming platform via Hulu. Outwardly, it may seem like typical physical horror, but within Together resides a deep examination about how we choose to love our partners.
A Directorial Debut Exploring The Nuances of Love
Together marks the first full-length movie for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It showcases Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Tim and Millie, partners that have stayed together for a decade. United in marriage in reality in 2017, the actors contribute a special spark to their portrayals, masterfully depicting both the strengths and weaknesses of a long-term relationship.
The plot starts when the couple transition from the urban environment to the country for her career. A familiar narrative setup, of course, but that’s mostly where the conventions cease. 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 hiking near their rural residence, a violent storm occurs, and the two fall into an hole in the earth. After spending the night there and managing to escape, a supernatural entity starts to affect the couple. This force induces a supernatural closeness between them that goes far beyond emotional intimacy.
The entire film is a slow burn of scares, interspersing bits of fever-dream horrors, gross (but never too gross) biological grotesqueries, and surprisingly comedic dialogue (sometimes in the middle of something grotesque). Shanks skillfully blends these components expertly and wraps them up in a gradually swelling atmosphere of fear.
Nuanced Portrayals
A large part of Together is solely the two lead actors, and they skillfully illustrate countless layers to the partnership at the film's core. Millie’s confidence and sense of connection is suffering due to a emotional and physical gap. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his hesitance to focus on anything other than his struggling artistic pursuits slowly bubbles to the surface.
In contrast, Tim's character senses confinement and isolated by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve left the city and removed from his social circle. He is terrified of the notion of utterly sacrificing his sense of self in his partner. This fear is further exacerbated by the fact he does not operate a vehicle and needs Millie for transportation.
Shanks’ smartest move is that he never makes either of his characters the obvious villain.
The couple face the sort of issues that are inherent in long-term unions over a long period. At their core, they still love one another. They still laugh together, provide solace, and share intimately at times. But under the surface, there’s an inescapable current of uncertainty about their relationship.
Thematic Depth
While the paranormal elements in Together represent these anxieties of codependency and totally devoting oneself to a partner, the metaphor never feels hamfisted or heavy-handed. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes present a perfect parallel to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the horror and the drama work together in a mutually beneficial way.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s final act, which is best experienced firsthand, has created disagreement on the movie's final takeaway about unhealthy partnerships. Accounts suggest that unattached audience members have understood the narrative as a compelling reason for staying single. Meanwhile, certain partners experiencing tension found that the film ended up guiding them to resolve their issues.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own interpretation could function as a great barometer of how you think about commitment. Will the conclusion sow feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you see yourself in one of the characters and yell at the screen, or simply look at your significant other and utter, “I understand that choice”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an exploration you can experience right now.
Together is available to watch on Hulu's platform as of this moment.
