Consider this a test for partners in committed relationships who appreciate scary movies: Settle in with your partner and watch Together. This independent film success of 2025 has now made its launch on a streaming platform on the Hulu service. On the surface, it might appear like conventional body horror, but beneath Together lies a deep contemplation about our choices in loving our partners.
A Directorial Debut Investigating Relationship Dynamics
Together is the debut feature-length film for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It features actors Alison Brie and Dave Franco as Millie and Tim, a pair who are not married that have stayed together for ten years. Having wed in reality in 2017, Franco and Brie bring a unique chemistry to their roles, expertly portraying both the strengths and weaknesses of a committed partnership.
The narrative starts when Millie and Tim transition from the big city to the countryside for Millie’s job. A commonly used narrative setup, sure, but that’s primarily where the cliches end. Together evolves into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the pair’s relationship as it is a movie featuring biological frights.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While walking near their rural residence, a tempest descends, and the two fall into an subterranean cavern. After spending the night there and eventually escaping, a strange force takes hold of the duo. This force induces a paranormal intimacy between them that goes far beyond simple connection.
The whole movie is a slow burn horror experience, weaving in bits of fever-dream horrors, disturbing (but not excessively graphic) physical transformations, and genuinely funny interactions (sometimes in the middle of something grotesque). Shanks weaves these elements together expertly and presents them in a gradually swelling aura of dread.
Complex Characterizations
A great deal of Together is only Brie and Franco, and they masterfully render countless layers to the characters’ relationship. Millie’s confidence and sense of connection is waning due to a distance. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his reluctance to focus on anything other than his failing musical ambitions gradually emerges.
In contrast, Tim's character experiences isolation and isolated by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve relocated rural and removed from his support system. He is terrified of the notion of utterly sacrificing his individual identity in Millie. This fear is intensified by the fact he lacks a driver's license and is dependent on Millie for getting around.
The director's cleverest decision in this movie never makes either of his characters the definite antagonist.
Tim and Millie confront the kind of problems that are inherent in any relationship a decade in. Fundamentally, they still love one another. They still laugh together, comfort one another, and are vulnerable at times. But below this facade, there’s an persistent current of uncertainty about their relationship.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the otherworldly presence in Together act as a metaphor for these anxieties of excessive reliance and giving oneself over to another person, the symbolism does not come across as hamfisted or heavy-handed. Instead, these visceral horror elements present a brilliant analogue to the relationship narrative. Both the horror and the drama work together in a mutually beneficial way.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s conclusion, which remains unspoiled, has sparked debate on the story's concluding statement about unhealthy partnerships. It has been said that those not in relationships have understood the narrative as a strong argument for avoiding commitment. Meanwhile, certain partners having disagreements found that the film ultimately assisted them reconcile.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own response could function as a great barometer of how you view relationships. Will the ending inspire anxiety and horror, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you see yourself in one of the characters and yell at the screen, or simply look at your other half and say, “We could get through that together”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an test you can experience right now.
Together is streaming on Hulu's platform as of this moment.
