We present a dare for partners in committed relationships who appreciate horror films: Get comfortable with your significant other and watch Together. The independent film success of 2025 has now made its streaming debut on Hulu. At first glance, it might appear like conventional body horror, but within Together lies a deep contemplation about our choices in loving one another.
A Directorial Debut Investigating Relationship Dynamics
Together marks the debut feature-length film for director Michael Shanks. It stars Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Tim and Millie, partners that have stayed together for a decade. Married in actuality in 2017, the actors infuse a particular energy to their portrayals, expertly portraying both the strengths and weaknesses of a committed partnership.
The plot begins when Millie and Tim move from the urban environment to the countryside for her career. A commonly used narrative setup, admittedly, but that’s mostly where the tropes cease. Together becomes 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 walking near their new home, a tempest descends, and the two tumble into an hole in the earth. After being trapped overnight there and eventually escaping, a mysterious influence begins influencing the duo. This force induces a supernatural closeness between them that goes far beyond emotional intimacy.
The entire film is a methodically building of scares, weaving in moments of fever-dream horrors, gross (but not excessively graphic) body horror, and authentically humorous interactions (sometimes in the middle of something grotesque). Shanks orchestrates these parts neatly and wraps them up in a consistently growing aura of dread.
Complex Characterizations
A great deal of Together is exclusively Brie and Franco, and they masterfully render countless layers to the characters’ relationship. Her self-assurance and feeling of intimacy is waning due to a lack of intimacy. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his unwillingness to chase only his failing musical ambitions inexorably rises.
Conversely, Tim feels trapped and cut off by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve left the city and removed from his network of friends. He dreads the notion of totally forfeiting his personal autonomy in his partner. This fear is intensified by the reality he lacks a driver's license and relies on Millie for getting around.
The film's most intelligent aspect in Together avoids making Tim or Millie the clear bad guy.
Tim and Millie face the type of challenges that are inherent in long-term unions a decade in. At their core, they continue to care for one another. They still laugh together, offer support, and are vulnerable at times. But below this facade, there’s an inescapable undercurrent of doubt about their relationship.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the paranormal elements in Together act as a metaphor for these fears of codependency and giving oneself over to another person, the metaphor avoids being hamfisted or pretentious. Instead, these visceral horror elements provide a brilliant analogue to the relationship narrative. Both the frights and the fights enhance each other in a mutually beneficial way.
A Debated Finale
Together’s conclusion, which is best experienced firsthand, has left audiences divided on the story's concluding statement about codependent relationships. Accounts suggest that those not in relationships have interpreted the film as a strong argument for avoiding commitment. On the other hand, some couples experiencing tension found that the film actually helped them reconcile.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own response could function as a great barometer of how you think about commitment. Will the conclusion plant anxiety and horror, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you recognize your own traits in Tim or Millie and yell at the screen, or simply turn to your partner and state, “We could get through that together”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an test you can undertake today.
Together is currently playing on Hulu now.
