We present a test for long-term couples who are fans of the horror genre: Sit down with your partner and stream Together. The independent film success of 2025 recently had its streaming debut on the Hulu service. On the surface, it might appear like typical physical horror, but beneath Together exists a intense contemplation about how we choose to love each other.
A Directorial Debut Exploring The Nuances of Love
Together is the debut feature-length film for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It stars the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Millie and Tim, a pair who are not married that have remained a couple for a decade. Having wed in actuality in 2017, Franco and Brie contribute a special spark to their roles, masterfully depicting both the joys and frustrations of a long-term relationship.
The narrative starts when the couple relocate from the big city to the country for Millie’s job. A commonly used plot device, sure, but that’s largely where the tropes conclude. Together transforms into as much a psychological exploration of the pair’s relationship as it is a film about physical terror.
A Paranormal Spark
While trekking near their rural residence, a storm hits, and Millie and Tim discover an hole in the earth. After being trapped overnight there and eventually escaping, a supernatural entity takes hold of the couple. This force compels a paranormal intimacy between them that goes exceeding typical partnership.
The complete narrative is a slow burn horror experience, weaving in moments of hallucinatory nightmares, unsettling (but never too gross) biological grotesqueries, and surprisingly comedic interactions (sometimes amidst something horrific). The director skillfully blends these components neatly and wraps them up in a gradually swelling atmosphere of fear.
Nuanced Portrayals
A significant portion of Together is exclusively the performances of its stars, and they deftly portray manifold depths to the partnership at the film's core. Millie’s confidence and feeling of intimacy is deteriorating due to a distance. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his unwillingness to chase only his floundering music career gradually emerges.
Conversely, Tim experiences isolation and isolated by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve relocated rural and far away from his network of friends. He dreads the notion of completely losing his sense of self in his partner. This fear is further exacerbated by the circumstance he lacks a driver's license and needs Millie for transportation.
Shanks’ smartest move is that he never makes one partner or the other the obvious villain.
Tim and Millie confront the type of challenges that come with any relationship a decade in. Deep down, they have affection for one another. They share moments of joy, offer support, and open up at times. But under the surface, there’s an unavoidable feeling of questioning about their bond.
Allegory and Meaning
While the otherworldly presence in Together symbolize these concerns of codependency and giving oneself over to a partner, the metaphor never feels clumsy or pretentious. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments present a ideal counterpart to the relationship narrative. Both the horror and the drama enhance each other in harmony.
A Debated Finale
Together’s final act, which remains unspoiled, has left audiences divided on the movie's final takeaway about codependent relationships. Reports indicate that unattached audience members have understood the narrative as a strong argument for avoiding commitment. On the other hand, a few pairs who were in conflict found that the film actually helped them reconcile.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own interpretation could function as a telling indicator of how you think about commitment. Will the ending inspire a sense of discomfort and fear, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you recognize your own traits in either protagonist and feel frustration, or simply glance toward your significant other and state, “We could get through that together”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an test you can undertake right now.
Together is streaming on Hulu at present.
