Here's a dare for long-term couples who appreciate the horror genre: Settle in with your loved one and stream Together. The critically acclaimed 2025 movie just made its online premiere on Hulu. At first glance, it may seem like typical biological terror, but within Together exists a profound meditation about our choices in loving our partners.
A Debut Feature Investigating Relationship Dynamics
Together is the debut feature-length film for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It features Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Tim and Millie, an unmarried couple that have been together for over ten years. Having wed in reality in 2017, Franco and Brie contribute a particular energy to their roles, masterfully depicting both the joys and frustrations of a enduring union.
The narrative commences when Tim and Millie relocate from the urban environment to the countryside for Millie’s job. A familiar plot device, of course, but that’s largely where the tropes cease. Together transforms into as much a psychological exploration of the partnership as it is a film about physical terror.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While walking near their country house, a tempest descends, and the two discover an hole in the earth. After being trapped overnight there and eventually escaping, a supernatural entity begins influencing the duo. This force induces a supernatural closeness between them that goes exceeding emotional intimacy.
The whole movie is a gradually intensifying fright fest, interspersing bits of hallucinatory nightmares, gross (but never too gross) physical transformations, and genuinely funny dialogue (sometimes amidst something grotesque). Michael Shanks weaves these elements together expertly and wraps them up in a gradually swelling sense of impending doom.
Nuanced Portrayals
A great deal of Together is exclusively the performances of its stars, and they skillfully illustrate numerous complexities to the characters’ relationship. Her self-assurance and emotional bond is deteriorating due to a emotional and physical gap. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his hesitance to pursue anything but his floundering music career inexorably rises.
In contrast, Tim's character experiences isolation and separated by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve moved to the country and far away from his social circle. He is terrified of the concept of completely losing his personal autonomy in his partner. This fear is further exacerbated by the fact he does not operate a vehicle and relies on Millie for getting around.
The film's most intelligent aspect in Together avoids making Tim or Millie the definite antagonist.
The couple face the sort of issues that are inherent in most partnerships a decade in. At their core, they continue to care for one another. They still laugh together, comfort one another, and open up at times. But below this facade, there’s an inescapable undercurrent of doubt about their bond.
Thematic Depth
While the supernatural forces in Together act as a metaphor for these concerns of excessive reliance and giving oneself over to a partner, the symbolism never feels clumsy or heavy-handed. Instead, these visceral horror elements provide a ideal counterpart to the character-driven drama. Both the horror and the drama work together in a mutually beneficial way.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s final act, which is best experienced firsthand, has created disagreement on the movie's final takeaway about unhealthy partnerships. Accounts suggest that those not in relationships have seen the movie as a compelling reason for remaining unattached. Conversely, a few pairs who were in conflict found that the film ended up guiding them to reconcile.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own reaction could function as a telling indicator of how you think about commitment. Will the conclusion plant a sense of discomfort and fear, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you identify in either protagonist and feel frustration, or simply look at your other half and say, “I’d do that for you”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an exploration you can experience today.
Together is currently playing on Hulu's platform now.
