We present a dare for long-term couples who appreciate scary movies: Get comfortable with your partner and view Together. The independent film success of 2025 just made its streaming debut on Hulu. Outwardly, it might appear like standard biological terror, but within Together lies a deep contemplation about the ways we decide to love each other.
A Debut Feature Delving into Relationship Dynamics
Together is the debut feature-length film for director Michael Shanks. It features actors Alison Brie and Dave Franco as Millie and Tim, a pair who are not married that have stayed together for over ten years. Married in real life in 2017, the actors bring a particular energy to their roles, skillfully embodying both the joys and frustrations of a long-term relationship.
The narrative begins when Tim and Millie move from the urban environment to the country for Millie’s job. A familiar story element, admittedly, but that’s largely where the tropes end. Together transforms into as much a examination of mental states of the couple's dynamic as it is a body horror flick.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While trekking near their rural residence, a tempest descends, and the two fall into an subterranean cavern. After being trapped overnight there and eventually escaping, a supernatural entity takes hold of the couple. This force induces a otherworldly bond between them that goes well past emotional intimacy.
The whole movie is a slow burn of scares, interspersing elements of hallucinatory nightmares, unsettling (but not excessively graphic) biological grotesqueries, and genuinely funny dialogue (sometimes amidst something horrific). Michael Shanks orchestrates these parts neatly and presents them in a consistently growing sense of impending doom.
Complex Characterizations
A significant portion of Together is exclusively Brie and Franco, and they skillfully illustrate manifold depths to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Millie's sense of self and sense of connection is waning due to a distance. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his hesitance to focus on anything other than his struggling artistic pursuits gradually emerges.
Conversely, Tim experiences isolation and isolated by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve relocated rural and removed from his network of friends. He is terrified of the concept of utterly sacrificing his individual identity in another person. This fear is intensified by the circumstance he does not operate a vehicle and is dependent on Millie for getting around.
Shanks’ smartest move in Together refrains from painting either of his characters the clear bad guy.
The couple confront the kind of problems that are inherent in long-term unions over a long period. Fundamentally, they have affection for each other. They find humor with each other, offer support, and are vulnerable at times. But beneath it all, there’s an unavoidable current of uncertainty about their future together.
Thematic Depth
While the otherworldly presence in Together symbolize these anxieties of excessive reliance and fully committing to another person, the symbolism avoids being overly obvious or pretentious. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments present a perfect parallel to the relationship narrative. Both the horror and the drama enhance each other symbiotically.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s final act, which won’t be spoiled here, has left audiences divided on the story's concluding statement about unhealthy partnerships. Reports indicate that unattached audience members have seen the movie as a compelling reason for avoiding commitment. On the other hand, some couples having disagreements found that the film ended up guiding them to resolve their issues.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own response could act as a revealing measure of how you perceive partnership. Will the ending sow a sense of discomfort and fear, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you identify in either protagonist and scream at your TV, or simply turn to your partner and utter, “We could get through that together”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an test you can experience at this very moment.
Together is currently playing on Hulu's platform at present.
