Consider this a test for those in enduring partnerships who enjoy scary movies: Sit down with your loved one and stream Together. The 2025 indie hit just made its streaming debut via Hulu. On the surface, it might appear like conventional body horror, but within Together exists a deep examination about how we choose to love each other.
An Introductory Film Delving into The Nuances of Love
Together marks the first full-length movie for director Michael Shanks. It showcases the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as a couple named Tim and Millie, a pair who are not married that have remained a couple for ten years. Married in real life in 2017, the actors infuse a unique chemistry to their characters, expertly portraying both the good and bad of a committed partnership.
The plot begins when the couple relocate from the urban environment to the countryside for her career. A familiar plot device, admittedly, but that’s largely where the conventions conclude. Together evolves into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the partnership as it is a film about physical terror.
A Paranormal Spark
While walking near their rural residence, a storm hits, and the protagonists discover an underground cave. After being trapped overnight there and managing to escape, a supernatural entity takes hold of the couple. This force creates a supernatural closeness between them that goes exceeding simple connection.
The whole movie is a methodically building horror experience, blending elements of fever-dream horrors, disturbing (but not excessively graphic) body horror, and surprisingly comedic exchanges (sometimes in the middle of something disturbing). Shanks weaves these elements together seamlessly and presents them in a slowly mounting sense of impending doom.
Layered Performances
A significant portion of Together is only Brie and Franco, and they deftly portray countless layers to the partnership at the film's core. Her self-assurance and feeling of intimacy is waning due to a emotional and physical gap. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his reluctance to pursue anything but his struggling artistic pursuits slowly bubbles to the surface.
Conversely, Tim feels trapped and isolated by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve relocated rural and removed from his network of friends. He dreads the idea of totally forfeiting his personal autonomy in his partner. This fear is amplified by the reality he lacks a driver's license and relies on Millie for transportation.
The film's most intelligent aspect is that he never makes Tim or Millie the clear bad guy.
Both characters face the type of challenges that arise in most partnerships over a long period. Deep down, they have affection for one another. They find humor with each other, offer support, and open up at times. But under the surface, there’s an unavoidable current of uncertainty about their future together.
Thematic Depth
While the paranormal elements in Together represent these concerns of codependency and giving oneself over to another person, the allegory avoids being overly obvious or pretentious. Instead, these visceral horror elements offer a perfect parallel to the relationship narrative. Both the horror and the drama work together in harmony.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s final act, which is best experienced firsthand, has sparked debate on the film’s ultimate message about unhealthy partnerships. It has been said that those not in relationships have understood the narrative as a compelling reason for staying single. On the other hand, certain partners experiencing tension found that the film ended up guiding them to reconcile.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own reaction could potentially serve as a great barometer of how you view relationships. Will the conclusion sow a sense of discomfort and fear, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you see yourself in one of the characters and feel frustration, or simply turn to your other half and state, “I’d do that for you”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an test you can embark on today.
Together is streaming on Hulu now.
