We present a dare for long-term couples who are fans of horror films: Settle in with your partner and stream Together. The independent film success of 2025 has now made its streaming debut via Hulu. On the surface, it could look like typical body horror, but within Together lies a profound examination about our choices in loving our partners.
An Introductory Film Delving into Relationship Dynamics
Together marks the debut feature-length film for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It features the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as a couple named Tim and Millie, partners that have stayed together for over ten years. Married in reality in 2017, the two stars bring a particular energy to their roles, masterfully depicting both the strengths and weaknesses of a long-term relationship.
The narrative begins when Tim and Millie transition from the big city to the country for Millie’s job. A commonly used plot device, sure, but that’s mostly where the cliches end. Together transforms into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the partnership as it is a movie featuring biological frights.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While trekking near their country house, a storm hits, and Millie and Tim fall into an underground cave. After a night spent there and eventually escaping, a supernatural entity takes hold of the pair. This force creates a paranormal intimacy between them that goes far beyond typical partnership.
The entire film is a slow burn fright fest, interspersing moments of hallucinatory nightmares, disturbing (but never too gross) biological grotesqueries, and authentically humorous exchanges (sometimes amidst something disturbing). Shanks orchestrates these parts seamlessly and wraps them up in a slowly mounting atmosphere of fear.
Layered Performances
A great deal of Together is solely Brie and Franco, and they masterfully render manifold depths to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Millie's sense of self and feeling of intimacy is suffering due to a lack of intimacy. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his hesitance to pursue anything but his failing musical ambitions slowly bubbles to the surface.
Conversely, Tim experiences isolation and isolated by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve relocated rural and far away from his support system. He is terrified of the idea of totally forfeiting his sense of self in his partner. This fear is further exacerbated by the reality he does not operate a vehicle and needs Millie for mobility.
Shanks’ smartest move is that he never makes one partner or the other the clear bad guy.
The couple face the sort of issues that come with most partnerships over a long period. Deep down, they have affection for each other. They share moments of joy, provide solace, and share intimately at times. But under the surface, there’s an persistent undercurrent of doubt about their future together.
Allegory and Meaning
While the otherworldly presence in Together symbolize these fears of excessive reliance and totally devoting oneself to a partner, the metaphor never feels clumsy or heavy-handed. Instead, these visceral horror elements provide a perfect parallel to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the horror and the drama work together symbiotically.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s ending, which remains unspoiled, has left audiences divided on the movie's final takeaway about enmeshed dynamics. Reports indicate that those not in relationships have seen the movie as a powerful case for staying single. On the other hand, certain partners experiencing tension found that the film actually helped them resolve their issues.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own response could act as a revealing measure of how you perceive partnership. Will the finale inspire a sense of discomfort and fear, or a positive outlook on love? Will you identify in Tim or Millie and scream at your TV, or simply glance toward your other half and state, “I’d do that for you”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an experiment you can undertake today.
Together is available to watch on the streaming service Hulu at present.
