We present a test for partners in committed relationships who enjoy horror films: Sit down with your partner and watch Together. The independent film success of 2025 recently had its streaming debut on the Hulu service. Outwardly, it might appear like typical biological terror, but beneath Together resides a intense meditation about our choices in loving our partners.
An Introductory Film Exploring The Nuances of Love
Together is the first full-length movie for director Michael Shanks. It features Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Millie and Tim, partners that have remained a couple for ten years. Married in actuality in 2017, the actors infuse a particular energy to their characters, skillfully embodying both the good and bad of a committed partnership.
The narrative begins when Tim and Millie move from the urban environment to the countryside for her career. A somewhat stereotypical narrative setup, of course, but that’s primarily where the conventions end. Together becomes as much a deep dive into the psyche of the couple's dynamic as it is a film about physical terror.
A Paranormal Spark
While hiking near their rural residence, a storm hits, and the two fall into an underground cave. After spending the night there and managing to escape, a supernatural entity begins influencing the couple. This force induces a otherworldly bond between them that goes exceeding emotional intimacy.
The entire film is a slow burn fright fest, interspersing moments of fever-dream horrors, disturbing (but tastefully done) body horror, and surprisingly comedic interactions (sometimes during something horrific). Shanks skillfully blends these components seamlessly and delivers them in a slowly mounting sense of impending doom.
Complex Characterizations
A large part of Together is solely the performances of its stars, and they masterfully render numerous complexities to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Millie’s confidence and feeling of intimacy is waning due to a distance. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his hesitance to chase only his struggling artistic pursuits inexorably rises.
In contrast, Tim's character feels trapped and cut off by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve relocated rural and far away from his network of friends. He dreads the concept of utterly sacrificing his personal autonomy in his partner. This fear is intensified by the circumstance he does not operate a vehicle and needs Millie for mobility.
The film's most intelligent aspect is that he refrains from painting one partner or the other the definite antagonist.
The couple confront the kind of problems that are inherent in long-term unions after ten years. At their core, they still love each other. They still laugh together, offer support, and are vulnerable at times. But below this facade, there’s an inescapable feeling of questioning about their bond.
Thematic Depth
While the supernatural forces in Together symbolize these anxieties of codependency and totally devoting oneself to a partner, the symbolism never feels hamfisted or pretentious. Instead, these visceral horror elements present a ideal counterpart to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the horror and the drama serve the other symbiotically.
A Debated Finale
Together’s conclusion, which is best experienced firsthand, has left audiences divided on the movie's final takeaway about unhealthy partnerships. Accounts suggest that unattached audience members have seen the movie as a compelling reason for avoiding commitment. Meanwhile, certain partners who were in conflict found that the film ultimately assisted them reconcile.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own response could potentially serve as a revealing measure of how you view relationships. Will the ending inspire feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a positive outlook on love? Will you see yourself in Tim or Millie and yell at the screen, or simply turn to your significant other and utter, “I understand that choice”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an test you can experience at this very moment.
Together is streaming on Hulu now.
