Here's a test for those in enduring partnerships who enjoy horror films: Settle in with your partner and stream Together. The 2025 indie hit recently had its online premiere on Hulu. On the surface, it could look like conventional biological terror, but beneath Together exists a intense meditation about the ways we decide to love our partners.
A Debut Feature Investigating The Nuances of Love
Together represents the first full-length movie for director Michael Shanks. It showcases the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Millie and Tim, partners that have been together for a decade. United in marriage in real life in 2017, the actors bring a unique chemistry to their portrayals, skillfully embodying both the joys and frustrations of a enduring union.
The narrative starts when the couple transition from the metropolis to the rural area for professional reasons. A familiar plot device, sure, but that’s primarily where the cliches cease. Together transforms into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the couple's dynamic as it is a movie featuring biological frights.
A Paranormal Spark
While trekking near their new home, a tempest descends, and the two discover an underground cave. After spending the night there and finally finding a way out, a mysterious influence takes hold of the duo. This force compels a paranormal intimacy between them that goes far beyond emotional intimacy.
The entire film is a methodically building of scares, interspersing moments of hallucinatory nightmares, gross (but not excessively graphic) physical transformations, and genuinely funny dialogue (sometimes during something horrific). Michael Shanks skillfully blends these components expertly and wraps them up in a slowly mounting atmosphere of fear.
Layered Performances
A large part of Together is solely Brie and Franco, and they masterfully render manifold depths to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Millie’s confidence and sense of connection is suffering due to a distance. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his reluctance to focus on anything other than his floundering music career slowly bubbles to the surface.
In contrast, Tim's character senses confinement and separated by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve left the city and distant from his network of friends. He fears the concept of utterly sacrificing his individual identity in Millie. This fear is intensified by the circumstance he does not operate a vehicle and relies on Millie for transportation.
Shanks’ smartest move in this movie never makes one partner or the other the obvious villain.
Tim and Millie grapple with the sort of issues that arise in long-term unions over a long period. Fundamentally, they continue to care for one another. They find humor with each other, comfort one another, and are vulnerable at times. But below this facade, there’s an unavoidable undercurrent of doubt about their bond.
Allegory and Meaning
While the supernatural forces in Together symbolize these concerns of codependency and fully committing to a partner, the allegory never feels hamfisted or heavy-handed. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes offer a perfect parallel to the character-driven drama. Both the supernatural and the personal work together in harmony.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s ending, which is best experienced firsthand, has created disagreement on the film’s ultimate message about unhealthy partnerships. Reports indicate that unattached audience members have seen the movie as a strong argument for staying single. Conversely, certain partners experiencing tension found that the film actually helped them resolve their issues.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own reaction could potentially serve as a great barometer of how you perceive partnership. 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 scream at your TV, or simply look at your partner and say, “We could get through that together”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an exploration you can embark on right now.
Together is streaming on Hulu's platform at present.
