We present a dare for long-term couples who are fans of the horror genre: Settle in with your loved one and watch Together. This independent film success of 2025 has now made its streaming debut on the Hulu service. At first glance, it might appear like standard body horror, but within Together lies a deep contemplation about our choices in loving each other.
An Introductory Film Delving into The Nuances of Love
Together marks the debut feature-length film for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It showcases actors Alison Brie and Dave Franco as Tim and Millie, an unmarried couple that have remained a couple for over ten years. Married in actuality in 2017, Franco and Brie bring a particular energy to their portrayals, masterfully depicting both the joys and frustrations of a long-term relationship.
The story starts when Millie and Tim transition from the urban environment to the rural area for her career. A somewhat stereotypical plot device, admittedly, but that’s largely where the cliches end. Together becomes as much a deep dive into the psyche of the pair’s relationship as it is a film about physical terror.
A Paranormal Spark
While hiking near their new home, a storm hits, and the protagonists discover an hole in the earth. After a night spent there and eventually escaping, a supernatural entity takes hold of the couple. This force creates a supernatural closeness between them that goes exceeding simple connection.
The complete narrative is a methodically building horror experience, interspersing moments of fever-dream horrors, unsettling (but not excessively graphic) body horror, and surprisingly comedic exchanges (sometimes during something horrific). The director weaves these elements together seamlessly and presents them in a consistently growing atmosphere of fear.
Complex Characterizations
A significant portion of Together is only the two lead actors, and they deftly portray countless layers to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Millie's sense of self and feeling of intimacy is suffering due to a emotional and physical gap. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his reluctance to focus on anything other than his failing musical ambitions slowly bubbles to the surface.
Tim, on the other hand feels trapped and cut off by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve moved to the country and removed from his network of friends. He is terrified of the concept of totally forfeiting his individual identity in his partner. This fear is intensified by the fact he can’t drive and needs Millie for getting around.
The director's cleverest decision is that he never makes Tim or Millie the clear bad guy.
Tim and Millie confront the kind of problems that come with any relationship over a long period. Fundamentally, they still love one another. They share moments of joy, comfort one another, and open up at times. But below this facade, there’s an unavoidable feeling of questioning about their future together.
Thematic Depth
While the supernatural forces in Together act as a metaphor for these anxieties of unhealthy attachment and totally devoting oneself to another person, the metaphor never feels hamfisted or pretentious. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes provide a perfect parallel to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the supernatural and the personal work together symbiotically.
A Debated Finale
Together’s ending, which is best experienced firsthand, has created disagreement on the movie's final takeaway about unhealthy partnerships. It has been said that unattached audience members have understood the narrative as a powerful case for remaining unattached. On the other hand, certain partners who were in conflict found that the film ended up guiding them to reconcile.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own response could act as a revealing measure of how you perceive partnership. Will the finale plant feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a positive outlook on love? Will you see yourself in one of the characters and yell at the screen, or simply turn to your other half and say, “We could get through that together”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an exploration you can embark on right now.
Together is currently playing on the streaming service Hulu as of this moment.
