Consider this a test for those in enduring partnerships who enjoy horror films: Get comfortable with your loved one and watch Together. The independent film success of 2025 just made its streaming debut on the Hulu service. Outwardly, it might appear like typical biological terror, but within Together exists a intense meditation about our choices in loving one another.
A Debut Feature Investigating Relationship Dynamics
Together marks the first full-length movie for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It showcases the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Tim and Millie, a pair who are not married that have been together for ten years. Having wed in reality in 2017, the actors infuse a unique chemistry to their roles, expertly portraying both the joys and frustrations of a long-term relationship.
The narrative begins when Millie and Tim relocate from the big city to the country for Millie’s job. A somewhat stereotypical plot device, admittedly, but that’s mostly where the tropes end. Together transforms into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the partnership as it is a movie featuring biological frights.
A Paranormal Spark
While walking near their new home, a storm hits, and the protagonists fall into an hole in the earth. After being trapped overnight there and managing to escape, a strange force takes hold of the pair. This force induces a paranormal intimacy between them that goes exceeding emotional intimacy.
The entire film is a slow burn fright fest, blending moments of fever-dream horrors, gross (but tastefully done) physical transformations, and authentically humorous dialogue (sometimes in the middle of something disturbing). Michael Shanks skillfully blends these components seamlessly and delivers them in a gradually swelling sense of impending doom.
Complex Characterizations
A great deal of Together is exclusively Brie and Franco, and they masterfully render countless layers to the characters’ relationship. Millie’s confidence and feeling of intimacy is deteriorating due to a distance. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his unwillingness to chase only his struggling artistic pursuits slowly bubbles to the surface.
In contrast, Tim's character senses confinement and isolated by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve left the city and distant from his social circle. He is terrified of the concept of utterly sacrificing his individual identity in another person. This fear is intensified by the circumstance he lacks a driver's license and is dependent on Millie for transportation.
The director's cleverest decision is that he avoids making either of his characters the clear bad guy.
Both characters grapple with the kind of problems that come with most partnerships over a long period. Deep down, they continue to care for one another. They find humor with each other, provide solace, and open up at times. But below this facade, there’s an inescapable current of uncertainty about their relationship.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the otherworldly presence in Together act as a metaphor for these fears of excessive reliance and giving oneself over to another person, the symbolism does not come across as hamfisted or self-important. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments present a ideal counterpart to the character-driven drama. Both the frights and the fights serve the other in a mutually beneficial way.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s conclusion, which won’t be spoiled here, has created disagreement on the film’s ultimate message about enmeshed dynamics. It has been said that those not in relationships have interpreted the film as a powerful case for remaining unattached. Meanwhile, certain partners experiencing tension found that the film ended up guiding them to make up.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own reaction could function as a great barometer of how you perceive partnership. Will the conclusion inspire feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a positive outlook on love? Will you identify in one of the characters and feel frustration, or simply glance toward your significant other and say, “We could get through that together”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an exploration you can undertake right now.
Together is available to watch on Hulu's platform now.
