Here's a test for long-term couples who enjoy the horror genre: Get comfortable with your loved one and stream Together. The 2025 indie hit just made its online premiere via Hulu. On the surface, it might appear like standard physical horror, but inside Together exists a profound examination about the ways we decide to love one another.
A Directorial Debut Exploring The Nuances of Love
Together is the first full-length movie for director Michael Shanks. It stars the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Millie and Tim, partners that have stayed together for a decade. Married in reality in 2017, Franco and Brie contribute a unique chemistry to their characters, expertly portraying both the strengths and weaknesses of a enduring union.
The narrative begins when the couple transition from the big city to the countryside for Millie’s job. A somewhat stereotypical narrative setup, sure, but that’s primarily where the tropes conclude. Together becomes as much a examination of mental states of the couple's dynamic as it is a film about physical terror.
A Paranormal Spark
While trekking near their new home, a storm hits, and the protagonists tumble into an hole in the earth. After spending the night there and managing to escape, a mysterious influence starts to affect the couple. This force creates a paranormal intimacy between them that goes well past typical partnership.
The whole movie is a gradually intensifying of scares, blending moments of dreamlike terrors, disturbing (but not excessively graphic) biological grotesqueries, and genuinely funny exchanges (sometimes in the middle of something grotesque). Michael Shanks weaves these elements together neatly and delivers them in a gradually swelling atmosphere of fear.
Layered Performances
A significant portion of Together is solely the two lead actors, and they skillfully illustrate numerous complexities to the characters’ relationship. Millie's sense of self and feeling of intimacy is waning due to a distance. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his hesitance to pursue anything but his struggling artistic pursuits slowly bubbles to the surface.
Conversely, Tim senses confinement and cut off by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve left the city and far away from his network of friends. He fears the concept of completely losing his sense of self in his partner. This fear is intensified by the circumstance he lacks a driver's license and relies on Millie for getting around.
Shanks’ smartest move in Together avoids making Tim or Millie the obvious villain.
Both characters grapple with the type of challenges that are inherent in long-term unions after ten years. Deep down, they still love each other. They find humor with each other, offer support, and share intimately at times. But below this facade, there’s an inescapable feeling of questioning about their bond.
Thematic Depth
While the otherworldly presence in Together symbolize these concerns of unhealthy attachment and fully committing to another person, the allegory avoids being overly obvious or heavy-handed. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments offer a ideal counterpart to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the supernatural and the personal enhance each other symbiotically.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s final act, which remains unspoiled, has sparked debate on the story's concluding statement about codependent relationships. It has been said that those not in relationships have seen the movie as a strong argument for remaining unattached. Conversely, some couples experiencing tension found that the film actually helped them resolve their issues.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own response could act as a great barometer of how you think about commitment. Will the finale plant feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a positive outlook on love? Will you recognize your own traits in Tim or Millie and scream at your TV, or simply glance toward your other half and utter, “We could get through that together”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an experiment you can embark on right now.
Together is currently playing on the streaming service Hulu as of this moment.
