We present a challenge for partners in committed relationships who enjoy scary movies: Settle in with your loved one and view Together. This independent film success of 2025 recently had its launch on a streaming platform on the Hulu service. At first glance, it could look like standard physical horror, but beneath Together exists a intense meditation about our choices in loving each other.
A Debut Feature Delving into Relationship Dynamics
Together represents the debut feature-length film for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It stars Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Millie and Tim, an unmarried couple that have remained a couple for over ten years. Married in actuality in 2017, Franco and Brie contribute a particular energy to their roles, expertly portraying both the good and bad of a committed partnership.
The plot starts when the couple relocate from the big city to the countryside for professional reasons. A commonly used narrative setup, admittedly, but that’s largely where the cliches cease. Together transforms into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the couple's dynamic as it is a body horror flick.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While trekking near their rural residence, a storm hits, and Millie and Tim fall into an hole in the earth. After a night spent there and eventually escaping, a strange force begins influencing the pair. This force creates a paranormal intimacy between them that goes far beyond simple connection.
The whole movie is a methodically building of scares, interspersing bits of hallucinatory nightmares, gross (but tastefully done) biological grotesqueries, and surprisingly comedic interactions (sometimes amidst something horrific). The director weaves these elements together expertly and presents them in a gradually swelling aura of dread.
Layered Performances
A great deal of Together is only the two lead actors, and they deftly portray manifold depths to the partnership at the film's core. Millie’s confidence and emotional bond is deteriorating due to a emotional and physical gap. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his reluctance to chase only his struggling artistic pursuits slowly bubbles to the surface.
Conversely, Tim experiences isolation and separated by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve relocated rural and far away from his network of friends. He dreads the notion of totally forfeiting his personal autonomy in Millie. This fear is further exacerbated by the reality he does not operate a vehicle and needs Millie for mobility.
The film's most intelligent aspect in Together never makes one partner or the other the definite antagonist.
The couple confront the kind of problems that come with most partnerships over a long period. At their core, they continue to care for one another. They find humor with each other, offer support, and are vulnerable at times. But under the surface, there’s an unavoidable undercurrent of doubt about their relationship.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the otherworldly presence in Together symbolize these fears of unhealthy attachment and fully committing to another person, the metaphor never feels clumsy or pretentious. Instead, these visceral horror elements present a ideal counterpart to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the frights and the fights serve the other in harmony.
A Debated Finale
Together’s final act, which won’t be spoiled here, has created disagreement on the story's concluding statement about codependent relationships. Accounts suggest that those not in relationships have seen the movie as a strong argument for remaining unattached. Meanwhile, some couples having disagreements found that the film actually helped them resolve their issues.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own reaction could act as a telling indicator of how you perceive partnership. Will the conclusion sow feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you identify in one of the characters and scream at your TV, or simply turn to your significant other and state, “I’d do that for you”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an experiment you can experience today.
Together is available to watch on Hulu at present.
