Here's a challenge for long-term couples who appreciate horror films: Get comfortable with your partner and stream Together. The critically acclaimed 2025 movie has now made its online premiere on the Hulu service. Outwardly, it could look like conventional physical horror, but inside Together exists a deep examination about our choices in loving one another.
A Debut Feature Investigating Partnership Complexities
Together represents the introductory feature for director Michael Shanks. It stars Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Tim and Millie, an unmarried couple that have been together for ten years. Having wed in reality in 2017, Franco and Brie bring a unique chemistry to their characters, expertly portraying both the strengths and weaknesses of a committed partnership.
The narrative starts when the couple relocate from the metropolis to the rural area for professional reasons. A somewhat stereotypical narrative setup, sure, but that’s primarily where the conventions cease. Together evolves into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the partnership as it is a body horror flick.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While walking near their new home, a violent storm occurs, and the protagonists fall into an underground cave. After a night spent there and managing to escape, a strange force takes hold of the duo. This force induces a paranormal intimacy between them that goes far beyond typical partnership.
The whole movie is a slow burn horror experience, blending moments of dreamlike terrors, disturbing (but tastefully done) biological grotesqueries, and genuinely funny exchanges (sometimes in the middle of something horrific). Shanks skillfully blends these components expertly and wraps them up in a consistently growing aura of dread.
Layered Performances
A significant portion of Together is only the two lead actors, and they masterfully render countless layers to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Millie's sense of self and feeling of intimacy is deteriorating due to a lack of intimacy. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his unwillingness to focus on anything other than his floundering music career inexorably rises.
Tim, on the other hand senses confinement and cut off by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve left the city and removed from his network of friends. He dreads the idea of completely losing his individual identity in another person. This fear is amplified by the reality he lacks a driver's license and relies on Millie for getting around.
Shanks’ smartest move in Together refrains from painting either of his characters the clear bad guy.
The couple face the kind of problems that arise in most partnerships after ten years. Fundamentally, they still love each other. They still laugh together, provide solace, and share intimately at times. But beneath it all, there’s an unavoidable undercurrent of doubt about their bond.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the paranormal elements in Together symbolize these concerns of excessive reliance and fully committing to a partner, the symbolism never feels overly obvious or pretentious. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments present a perfect parallel to the relationship narrative. Both the horror and the drama enhance each other in harmony.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s ending, which remains unspoiled, has sparked debate on the story's concluding statement about enmeshed dynamics. It has been said that those not in relationships have seen the movie as a strong argument for staying single. Conversely, certain partners who were in conflict found that the film ultimately assisted them make up.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own reaction could act as a great barometer of how you view relationships. Will the finale sow feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you see yourself in one of the characters and yell at the screen, or simply turn to your significant other and state, “I understand that choice”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an test you can undertake at this very moment.
Together is available to watch on Hulu's platform now.
