We present a test for those in enduring partnerships who are fans of the horror genre: Get comfortable with your significant other and watch Together. The independent film success of 2025 just made its online premiere on the Hulu service. Outwardly, it may seem like conventional physical horror, but beneath Together resides a profound contemplation about how we choose to love each other.
A Directorial Debut Delving into Partnership Complexities
Together marks the debut feature-length film for director Michael Shanks. It stars Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Tim and Millie, partners that have stayed together for over ten years. Having wed in reality in 2017, the actors infuse a unique chemistry to their portrayals, skillfully embodying both the strengths and weaknesses of a committed partnership.
The plot starts when Millie and Tim relocate from the big city to the countryside for her career. A commonly used plot device, of course, but that’s mostly where the tropes end. Together becomes as much a examination of mental states of the partnership as it is a film about physical terror.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While walking near their rural residence, a tempest descends, and the two fall into an hole in the earth. After being trapped overnight there and managing to escape, a strange force takes hold of the pair. This force induces a otherworldly bond between them that goes exceeding typical partnership.
The complete narrative is a slow burn fright fest, blending moments of fever-dream horrors, disturbing (but not excessively graphic) body horror, and genuinely funny dialogue (sometimes in the middle of something grotesque). Shanks skillfully blends these components neatly and delivers them in a consistently growing aura of dread.
Layered Performances
A significant portion of Together is solely the performances of its stars, and they skillfully illustrate countless layers to the partnership at the film's core. Her self-assurance and sense of connection is waning due to a emotional and physical gap. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his unwillingness to pursue anything but his failing musical ambitions inexorably rises.
In contrast, Tim's character senses confinement and separated by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve relocated rural and far away from his support system. He dreads the idea of completely losing his personal autonomy in his partner. This fear is further exacerbated by the circumstance he does not operate a vehicle and relies on Millie for mobility.
Shanks’ smartest move in Together avoids making either of his characters the obvious villain.
The couple grapple with the sort of issues that come with most partnerships a decade in. At their core, they continue to care for one another. They still laugh together, comfort one another, and are vulnerable at times. But beneath it all, there’s an unavoidable feeling of questioning about their future together.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the paranormal elements in Together symbolize these fears of unhealthy attachment and fully committing to a partner, the allegory does not come across as clumsy or self-important. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes present a brilliant analogue to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the supernatural and the personal work together symbiotically.
A Debated Finale
Together’s conclusion, which won’t be spoiled here, has left audiences divided on the story's concluding statement about enmeshed dynamics. It has been said that single viewers have seen the movie as a powerful case for staying single. Conversely, a few pairs having disagreements found that the film ultimately assisted them resolve their issues.
Whether you’re single or coupled up, your own response could act as a great barometer of how you perceive partnership. Will the finale plant a sense of discomfort and fear, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you identify in either protagonist and scream at your TV, or simply turn to your partner and say, “I’d do that for you”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an test you can embark on today.
Together is streaming on Hulu's platform now.
