Consider this a test for long-term couples who are fans of the horror genre: Get comfortable with your partner and view Together. The independent film success of 2025 just made its streaming debut via Hulu. On the surface, it could look like typical biological terror, but within Together resides a deep contemplation about our choices in loving each other.
An Introductory Film Delving into Partnership Complexities
Together represents the debut feature-length film for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It showcases the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Millie and Tim, partners that have been together for ten years. United in marriage in reality in 2017, Franco and Brie infuse a particular energy to their roles, skillfully embodying both the strengths and weaknesses of a committed partnership.
The narrative commences when the couple transition from the metropolis to the countryside for Millie’s job. A somewhat stereotypical story element, sure, but that’s largely where the cliches conclude. Together evolves into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the partnership as it is a film about physical terror.
A Paranormal Spark
While trekking near their country house, a tempest descends, and the protagonists tumble into an hole in the earth. After being trapped overnight there and finally finding a way out, a supernatural entity begins influencing the duo. This force compels a paranormal intimacy between them that goes exceeding emotional intimacy.
The whole movie is a methodically building fright fest, interspersing elements of hallucinatory nightmares, disturbing (but tastefully done) body horror, and genuinely funny interactions (sometimes during something grotesque). Michael Shanks weaves these elements together seamlessly and wraps them up in a consistently growing sense of impending doom.
Complex Characterizations
A significant portion of Together is solely Brie and Franco, and they skillfully illustrate countless layers to the characters’ relationship. Millie's sense of self and emotional bond is deteriorating due to a lack of intimacy. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his hesitance to chase only his floundering music career inexorably rises.
In contrast, Tim's character experiences isolation and isolated by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve moved to the country and removed from his network of friends. He dreads the idea of utterly sacrificing his personal autonomy in Millie. This fear is amplified by the circumstance he can’t drive and is dependent on Millie for getting around.
The director's cleverest decision is that he never makes Tim or Millie the obvious villain.
Both characters grapple with the type of challenges that arise in any relationship after ten years. At their core, they still love one another. They find humor with each other, comfort one another, and are vulnerable at times. But below this facade, there’s an unavoidable feeling of questioning about their relationship.
Thematic Depth
While the paranormal elements in Together represent these anxieties of codependency and fully committing to a partner, the metaphor does not come across as hamfisted or self-important. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes present a brilliant analogue to the relationship narrative. Both the supernatural and the personal enhance each other in a mutually beneficial way.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s conclusion, which is best experienced firsthand, has created disagreement on the story's concluding statement about enmeshed dynamics. Accounts suggest that those not in relationships have seen the movie as a strong argument for staying single. On the other hand, certain partners who were in conflict found that the film ultimately assisted them resolve their issues.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own interpretation could function as a telling indicator of how you view relationships. Will the conclusion plant a sense of discomfort and fear, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you see yourself in Tim or Millie and yell at the screen, or simply look at your significant other and state, “We could get through that together”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an experiment you can undertake at this very moment.
Together is available to watch on Hulu's platform at present.
