Consider this a test for those in enduring partnerships who enjoy scary movies: Get comfortable with your partner and stream Together. The 2025 indie hit has now made its streaming debut on the Hulu service. At first glance, it could look like typical physical horror, but beneath Together lies a intense examination about the ways we decide to love each other.
An Introductory Film Exploring Partnership Complexities
Together represents the debut feature-length film for director Michael Shanks. It showcases 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 ten years. Married in real life in 2017, Franco and Brie contribute a unique chemistry to their roles, skillfully embodying both the strengths and weaknesses of a enduring union.
The story begins when Tim and Millie transition from the big city to the countryside for her career. A somewhat stereotypical plot device, admittedly, but that’s primarily where the tropes end. Together evolves into as much a examination of mental states of the partnership as it is a movie featuring biological frights.
A Paranormal Spark
While walking near their rural residence, a tempest descends, and the two fall into an underground cave. After spending the night there and eventually escaping, a strange force starts to affect the pair. This force induces a supernatural closeness between them that goes far beyond simple connection.
The entire film is a slow burn horror experience, blending bits of hallucinatory nightmares, unsettling (but not excessively graphic) physical transformations, and surprisingly comedic exchanges (sometimes in the middle of something grotesque). Michael Shanks weaves these elements together seamlessly and wraps them up in a gradually swelling atmosphere of fear.
Nuanced Portrayals
A large part of Together is solely the performances of its stars, and they deftly portray countless layers to the partnership at the film's core. Millie’s confidence and sense of connection is deteriorating due to a lack of intimacy. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his unwillingness to focus on anything other than his struggling artistic pursuits inexorably rises.
Conversely, Tim feels trapped and isolated by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve left the city and removed from his network of friends. He fears the notion of utterly sacrificing his individual identity in his partner. This fear is amplified by the circumstance he lacks a driver's license and is dependent on Millie for mobility.
Shanks’ smartest move is that he never makes one partner or the other the obvious villain.
Tim and Millie face the sort of issues that arise in long-term unions over a long period. At their core, they continue to care for one another. They share moments of joy, offer support, and are vulnerable at times. But below this facade, there’s an unavoidable current of uncertainty about their future together.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the supernatural forces in Together represent these concerns of unhealthy attachment and fully committing to a partner, the metaphor never feels clumsy or pretentious. Instead, these visceral horror elements offer a ideal counterpart to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the horror and the drama enhance each other in a mutually beneficial way.
A Debated Finale
Together’s ending, which won’t be spoiled here, has created disagreement on the story's concluding statement about enmeshed dynamics. It has been said that those not in relationships have understood the narrative as a compelling reason for avoiding commitment. On the other hand, some couples experiencing tension found that the film actually helped them reconcile.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own reaction could function as a revealing measure of how you think about commitment. Will the conclusion plant feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you see yourself in one of the characters and scream at your TV, or simply turn to your partner and utter, “We could get through that together”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an experiment you can undertake right now.
Together is streaming on Hulu's platform as of this moment.
