Consider this a challenge for partners in committed relationships who enjoy the horror genre: Get comfortable with your partner and stream Together. This 2025 indie hit has now made its streaming debut on the Hulu service. At first glance, it could look like conventional biological terror, but beneath Together lies a deep examination about how we choose to love our partners.
A Debut Feature Exploring Relationship Dynamics
Together marks the introductory feature for director Michael Shanks. It showcases the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as a couple named Tim and Millie, an unmarried couple that have remained a couple for over ten years. Married in real life in 2017, the two stars contribute a particular energy to their roles, expertly portraying both the strengths and weaknesses of a committed partnership.
The plot starts when Tim and Millie transition from the urban environment to the countryside for Millie’s job. A commonly used plot device, sure, but that’s largely where the conventions conclude. Together becomes as much a examination of mental states of the couple's dynamic as it is a movie featuring biological frights.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While walking near their rural residence, a storm hits, and the protagonists fall into an hole in the earth. After a night spent there and managing to escape, a supernatural entity takes hold of the couple. This force compels a paranormal intimacy between them that goes well past typical partnership.
The entire film is a gradually intensifying of scares, interspersing elements of dreamlike terrors, disturbing (but never too gross) body horror, and surprisingly comedic interactions (sometimes in the middle of something disturbing). The director skillfully blends these components neatly and wraps them up in a consistently growing aura of dread.
Layered Performances
A large part of Together is solely the performances of its stars, and they skillfully illustrate manifold depths to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Millie’s confidence and sense of connection is waning due to a emotional and physical gap. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his hesitance to focus on anything other than his failing musical ambitions inexorably rises.
In contrast, Tim's character feels trapped and separated by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve relocated rural and distant from his support system. He fears the idea of utterly sacrificing his sense of self in his partner. This fear is further exacerbated by the circumstance he can’t drive and needs Millie for transportation.
The film's most intelligent aspect is that he avoids making either of his characters the definite antagonist.
The couple confront the kind of problems that come with most partnerships over a long period. At their core, they still love one another. They still laugh together, comfort one another, and are vulnerable at times. But under the surface, there’s an persistent current of uncertainty about their relationship.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the supernatural forces in Together symbolize these anxieties of unhealthy attachment and totally devoting oneself to another person, the symbolism does not come across as overly obvious or heavy-handed. Instead, these visceral horror elements present a brilliant analogue to the character-driven drama. Both the horror and the drama work together in harmony.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s conclusion, which won’t be spoiled here, has created disagreement on the movie's final takeaway about enmeshed dynamics. Reports indicate that those not in relationships have seen the movie as a compelling reason for avoiding commitment. Meanwhile, certain partners having disagreements found that the film ended up guiding them to make up.
Whether you’re single or coupled up, your own reaction could act as a telling indicator of how you perceive partnership. Will the conclusion inspire feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you identify in one of the characters and yell at the screen, or simply glance toward your other half and utter, “I’d do that for you”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an experiment you can experience right now.
Together is currently playing on Hulu's platform now.
