Consider this a test for long-term couples who are fans of the horror genre: Settle in with your significant other and stream Together. The critically acclaimed 2025 movie just made its online premiere on the Hulu service. On the surface, it may seem like conventional biological terror, but inside Together exists a deep meditation about the ways we decide to love one another.
An Introductory Film Exploring Partnership Complexities
Together is the first full-length movie for director Michael Shanks. It stars Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Millie and Tim, partners that have stayed together for over ten years. United in marriage in real life in 2017, the two stars contribute a special spark to their portrayals, expertly portraying both the joys and frustrations of a long-term relationship.
The story starts when Tim and Millie transition from the urban environment to the country for professional reasons. A somewhat stereotypical plot device, sure, but that’s largely where the tropes cease. Together evolves into as much a examination of mental states of the couple's dynamic as it is a film about physical terror.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While walking near their rural residence, a violent storm occurs, and Millie and Tim discover an hole in the earth. After spending the night there and eventually escaping, a strange force begins influencing the couple. This force compels a otherworldly bond between them that goes exceeding emotional intimacy.
The entire film is a slow burn fright fest, weaving in elements of fever-dream horrors, gross (but not excessively graphic) body horror, and authentically humorous exchanges (sometimes during something disturbing). Shanks orchestrates these parts seamlessly and wraps them up in a consistently growing aura of dread.
Nuanced Portrayals
A significant portion of Together is exclusively the two lead actors, and they masterfully render manifold depths to the characters’ relationship. Her self-assurance and emotional bond is suffering due to a distance. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his unwillingness to chase only his struggling artistic pursuits gradually emerges.
Tim, on the other hand senses confinement and cut off by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve relocated rural and far away from his support system. He fears the idea of totally forfeiting his personal autonomy in his partner. This fear is amplified by the fact he can’t drive and relies on Millie for mobility.
The director's cleverest decision is that he never makes Tim or Millie the obvious villain.
The couple grapple with the type of challenges that arise in most partnerships a decade in. Fundamentally, they have affection for each other. They find humor with each other, offer support, and share intimately at times. But below this facade, there’s an persistent current of uncertainty about their bond.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the supernatural forces in Together represent these concerns of unhealthy attachment and totally devoting oneself to another person, the allegory does not come across as overly obvious or self-important. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes present a ideal counterpart to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the horror and the drama enhance each other in harmony.
A Debated Finale
Together’s final act, which won’t be spoiled here, has sparked debate on the story's concluding statement about unhealthy partnerships. Reports indicate that single viewers have understood the narrative as a powerful case for staying single. Conversely, some couples who were in conflict found that the film ended up guiding them to reconcile.
Whether you’re single or coupled up, your own interpretation could function as a great barometer of how you think about commitment. Will the ending inspire 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”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an experiment you can undertake right now.
Together is currently playing on Hulu now.
