Here's a test for long-term couples who are fans of horror films: Sit down with your significant other and watch Together. This independent film success of 2025 has now made its streaming debut on the Hulu service. On the surface, it may seem like conventional body horror, but within Together exists a deep contemplation about how we choose to love one another.
A Directorial Debut Delving into The Nuances of Love
Together marks the first full-length movie for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It stars the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Tim and Millie, a pair who are not married that have stayed together for a decade. United in marriage in reality in 2017, Franco and Brie bring a special spark to their characters, expertly portraying both the good and bad of a committed partnership.
The story commences when Millie and Tim transition from the urban environment to the rural area for Millie’s job. A somewhat stereotypical plot device, admittedly, but that’s largely where the tropes cease. Together transforms into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the pair’s relationship as it is a body horror flick.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While hiking near their rural residence, a violent storm occurs, and Millie and Tim fall into an hole in the earth. After spending the night there and managing to escape, a strange force starts to affect the duo. This force induces a otherworldly bond between them that goes well past typical partnership.
The whole movie is a gradually intensifying fright fest, weaving in bits of hallucinatory nightmares, disturbing (but not excessively graphic) body horror, and authentically humorous exchanges (sometimes in the middle of something horrific). Michael Shanks skillfully blends these components seamlessly and presents them in a gradually swelling sense of impending doom.
Nuanced Portrayals
A significant portion of Together is solely the performances of its stars, and they skillfully illustrate manifold depths to the characters’ relationship. Millie's sense of self and sense of connection is suffering due to a lack of intimacy. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his unwillingness to focus on anything other than his floundering music career gradually emerges.
Conversely, Tim experiences isolation and cut off by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve relocated rural and removed from his support system. He is terrified of the idea of utterly sacrificing his personal autonomy in his partner. This fear is further exacerbated by the circumstance he does not operate a vehicle and is dependent on Millie for getting around.
The director's cleverest decision in this movie never makes Tim or Millie the clear bad guy.
Tim and Millie face the type of challenges that arise in most partnerships over a long period. At their core, they still love one another. They find humor with each other, comfort one another, and share intimately at times. But below this facade, there’s an unavoidable current of uncertainty about their bond.
Allegory and Meaning
While the paranormal elements in Together act as a metaphor for these anxieties of excessive reliance and giving oneself over to another person, the symbolism never feels clumsy or pretentious. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments present a perfect parallel to the character-driven drama. Both the supernatural and the personal enhance each other in harmony.
A Debated Finale
Together’s conclusion, which remains unspoiled, has sparked debate on the film’s ultimate message about enmeshed dynamics. Reports indicate that single viewers have seen the movie as a strong argument for remaining unattached. Meanwhile, certain partners experiencing tension found that the film actually helped them make up.
Whether you’re single or coupled up, your own reaction could act as a revealing measure of how you think about commitment. Will the conclusion plant feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a positive outlook on love? Will you see yourself in one of the characters and scream at your TV, or simply look at your partner and say, “We could get through that together”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an exploration you can embark on today.
Together is currently playing on Hulu's platform now.
