We present a dare for partners in committed relationships who appreciate the horror genre: Sit down with your partner and watch Together. This independent film success of 2025 has now made its streaming debut on the Hulu service. On the surface, it might appear like typical biological terror, but inside Together exists a deep examination about how we choose to love one another.
A Debut Feature Delving into Partnership Complexities
Together is 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 been together for ten years. Married in real life in 2017, Franco and Brie bring a particular energy to their portrayals, masterfully depicting both the joys and frustrations of a enduring union.
The plot commences when Tim and Millie transition from the metropolis to the rural area for her career. A familiar narrative setup, admittedly, but that’s largely where the tropes cease. Together becomes as much a deep dive into the psyche of the partnership as it is a film about physical terror.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While hiking near their new home, a storm hits, and Millie and Tim tumble into an hole in the earth. After a night spent there and managing to escape, a supernatural entity takes hold of the pair. This force creates a paranormal intimacy between them that goes far beyond emotional intimacy.
The complete narrative is a gradually intensifying horror experience, blending elements of fever-dream horrors, unsettling (but tastefully done) physical transformations, and genuinely funny interactions (sometimes during something horrific). Shanks orchestrates these parts neatly and delivers them in a slowly mounting sense of impending doom.
Complex Characterizations
A great deal of Together is solely Brie and Franco, and they skillfully illustrate countless layers to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Millie's sense of self and emotional bond is waning due to a distance. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his hesitance to chase only his failing musical ambitions gradually emerges.
Conversely, Tim experiences isolation and isolated by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve left the city and removed from his network of friends. He fears the notion of utterly sacrificing his sense of self in another person. This fear is amplified by the fact he does not operate a vehicle and needs Millie for transportation.
The film's most intelligent aspect is that he avoids making Tim or Millie the clear bad guy.
Both characters grapple with the kind of problems that arise in most partnerships over a long period. Deep down, they have affection for each other. They still laugh together, comfort one another, and share intimately at times. But beneath it all, there’s an inescapable current of uncertainty about their future together.
Thematic Depth
While the paranormal elements in Together symbolize these concerns of codependency and giving oneself over to another person, the metaphor avoids being overly obvious or self-important. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes present a ideal counterpart to the character-driven drama. Both the horror and the drama enhance each other in harmony.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s final act, which won’t be spoiled here, has sparked debate on the movie's final takeaway about codependent relationships. It has been said that those not in relationships have understood the narrative as a powerful case for avoiding commitment. On the other hand, some couples experiencing tension found that the film ultimately assisted them reconcile.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own response could act as a revealing measure of how you perceive partnership. Will the ending plant 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 turn to your other half and say, “I understand that choice”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an test you can experience today.
Together is available to watch on Hulu's platform now.
