We present a dare for partners in committed relationships who enjoy horror films: Settle in with your loved one and stream Together. This critically acclaimed 2025 movie has now made its online premiere on Hulu. On the surface, it may seem like typical physical horror, but inside Together exists a profound contemplation about our choices in loving our partners.
A Debut Feature Investigating The Nuances of Love
Together marks the first full-length movie for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It showcases Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Tim and Millie, an unmarried couple that have stayed together for a decade. Married in real life in 2017, Franco and Brie bring a unique chemistry to their portrayals, skillfully embodying both the good and bad of a long-term relationship.
The plot starts when the couple transition from the metropolis to the countryside for Millie’s job. A familiar plot device, of course, but that’s primarily where the cliches conclude. Together becomes as much a psychological exploration of the partnership as it is a film about physical terror.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While walking near their new home, a violent storm occurs, and the protagonists fall into an underground cave. After spending the night there and finally finding a way out, a strange force takes hold of the pair. This force creates a otherworldly bond between them that goes far beyond emotional intimacy.
The complete narrative is a gradually intensifying horror experience, blending elements of fever-dream horrors, disturbing (but never too gross) physical transformations, and surprisingly comedic 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 great deal of Together is only the two lead actors, and they deftly portray manifold depths to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Millie's sense of self and sense of connection is waning due to a lack of intimacy. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his hesitance to pursue anything but his failing musical ambitions slowly bubbles to the surface.
Tim, on the other hand senses confinement and cut off by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve relocated rural and removed from his support system. He is terrified of the concept of totally forfeiting his individual identity in Millie. This fear is intensified by the circumstance he can’t drive and is dependent on Millie for mobility.
Shanks’ smartest move in this movie never makes one partner or the other the obvious villain.
The couple confront the kind of problems that arise in long-term unions after ten years. At their core, they have affection for one another. They find humor with each other, provide solace, and are vulnerable at times. But beneath it all, there’s an inescapable current of uncertainty about their bond.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the supernatural forces in Together symbolize these anxieties of codependency and giving oneself over to another person, the allegory does not come across as hamfisted or pretentious. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments present a brilliant analogue to the character-driven drama. Both the horror and the drama enhance each other in harmony.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s ending, which remains unspoiled, has left audiences divided on the movie's final takeaway about codependent relationships. It has been said that unattached audience members have interpreted the film as a strong argument for staying single. Conversely, some couples who were in conflict found that the film ended up guiding them to resolve their issues.
Whether you’re single or coupled up, your own response could act as a revealing measure of how you perceive partnership. Will the conclusion inspire a sense of discomfort and fear, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you see yourself in either protagonist and yell at the screen, or simply look at your significant other and utter, “I’d do that for you”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an exploration you can experience at this very moment.
Together is streaming on the streaming service Hulu as of this moment.
