We present a challenge for partners in committed relationships who are fans of scary movies: Sit down with your significant other and watch Together. The independent film success of 2025 recently had its launch on a streaming platform via Hulu. On the surface, it may seem like typical physical horror, but within Together lies a deep contemplation about the ways we decide to love one another.
A Debut Feature Investigating Partnership Complexities
Together marks the first full-length movie for director Michael Shanks. It showcases Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Millie and Tim, partners that have been together for ten years. United in marriage in actuality in 2017, the two stars infuse a special spark to their portrayals, expertly portraying both the joys and frustrations of a committed partnership.
The story begins when Tim and Millie move from the urban environment to the countryside for her career. A familiar story element, of course, but that’s largely where the tropes conclude. Together evolves into as much a examination of mental states of the partnership as it is a body horror flick.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While walking near their new home, a tempest descends, and the two discover an hole in the earth. After being trapped overnight there and eventually escaping, a supernatural entity begins influencing the pair. This force induces a otherworldly bond between them that goes far beyond typical partnership.
The whole movie is a slow burn horror experience, interspersing bits of fever-dream horrors, unsettling (but tastefully done) biological grotesqueries, and genuinely funny interactions (sometimes during something horrific). The director orchestrates these parts neatly and presents them in a gradually swelling aura of dread.
Layered Performances
A large part of Together is exclusively Brie and Franco, and they deftly portray countless layers to the partnership at the film's core. Millie’s confidence and sense of connection is deteriorating due to a lack of intimacy. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his reluctance to chase only his struggling artistic pursuits gradually emerges.
Conversely, Tim senses confinement and isolated by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve relocated rural and distant from his social circle. He dreads the concept of totally forfeiting his sense of self in his partner. This fear is further exacerbated by the reality he lacks a driver's license and is dependent on Millie for mobility.
Shanks’ smartest move is that he never makes either of his characters the obvious villain.
Both characters grapple with the kind of problems that come with most partnerships over a long period. Fundamentally, they continue to care for one another. They still laugh together, comfort one another, and open up at times. But below this facade, there’s an unavoidable current of uncertainty about their bond.
Thematic Depth
While the supernatural forces in Together represent these anxieties of excessive reliance and totally devoting oneself to another person, the metaphor never feels overly obvious or heavy-handed. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes offer a brilliant analogue to the character-driven drama. Both the frights and the fights enhance each other in harmony.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s ending, which remains unspoiled, has sparked debate on the film’s ultimate message about codependent relationships. Accounts suggest that single viewers have understood the narrative as a powerful case for staying single. Meanwhile, some couples experiencing tension found that the film actually helped them make up.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own reaction could potentially serve as a great barometer of how you view relationships. Will the finale plant anxiety and horror, or a positive outlook on love? Will you recognize your own traits in either protagonist and yell at the screen, or simply turn to your partner and utter, “I’d do that for you”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an test you can embark on today.
Together is streaming on Hulu as of this moment.
