Here's a test for partners in committed relationships who are fans of horror films: Sit down with your significant other and stream Together. The independent film success of 2025 just made its launch on a streaming platform via Hulu. At first glance, it may seem like standard body horror, but within Together exists a deep meditation about how we choose to love each other.
A Directorial Debut Delving into Relationship Dynamics
Together is the first full-length movie for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It stars actors Alison Brie and Dave Franco as a couple named Tim and Millie, a pair who are not married that have been together for over ten years. Married in actuality in 2017, the two stars infuse a unique chemistry to their characters, skillfully embodying both the good and bad of a enduring union.
The story begins when the couple relocate from the big city to the rural area for professional reasons. A commonly used story element, of course, but that’s largely where the conventions cease. Together evolves into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the pair’s relationship as it is a film about physical terror.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While trekking near their rural residence, a storm hits, and the two fall into an hole in the earth. After spending the night there and eventually escaping, a supernatural entity starts to affect the duo. This force compels a otherworldly bond between them that goes exceeding emotional intimacy.
The complete narrative is a methodically building horror experience, blending moments of hallucinatory nightmares, disturbing (but not excessively graphic) biological grotesqueries, and surprisingly comedic dialogue (sometimes in the middle of something disturbing). Michael Shanks skillfully blends these components neatly and delivers them in a gradually swelling aura of dread.
Complex Characterizations
A significant portion of Together is solely Brie and Franco, and they masterfully render numerous complexities to the partnership at the film's core. Millie’s confidence and emotional bond is suffering due to a distance. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his hesitance to focus on anything other than his struggling artistic pursuits gradually emerges.
In contrast, Tim's character feels trapped and cut off by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve left the city and far away from his social circle. 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 mobility.
The director's cleverest decision in this movie avoids making Tim or Millie the obvious villain.
Both characters confront the type of challenges that are inherent in most partnerships after ten years. At their core, they have affection for each other. They still laugh together, comfort one another, and are vulnerable at times. But under the surface, there’s an persistent current of uncertainty about their future together.
Thematic Depth
While the supernatural forces in Together represent these concerns of codependency and fully committing to a partner, the symbolism avoids being overly obvious or heavy-handed. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments offer a perfect parallel to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the horror and the drama serve the other in harmony.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s conclusion, which remains unspoiled, has created disagreement on the movie's final takeaway about unhealthy partnerships. Reports indicate that those not in relationships have understood the narrative as a strong argument for remaining unattached. On the other hand, certain partners who were in conflict found that the film actually helped them resolve their issues.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own interpretation could function as a great barometer of how you view relationships. Will the conclusion sow feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a positive outlook on love? Will you see yourself in Tim or Millie and yell at the screen, or simply look at your other half and utter, “We could get through that together”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an experiment you can embark on today.
Together is currently playing on Hulu at present.
