Consider this a dare for those in enduring partnerships who are fans of the horror genre: Sit down with your significant other and watch Together. This independent film success of 2025 just made its launch on a streaming platform on Hulu. Outwardly, it could look like standard physical horror, but within Together lies a intense meditation about the ways we decide to love one another.
A Directorial Debut Investigating The Nuances of Love
Together represents the introductory feature for director Michael Shanks. It stars the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Millie and Tim, a pair who are not married that have been together for over ten years. Married in actuality in 2017, Franco and Brie infuse a unique chemistry to their portrayals, masterfully depicting both the good and bad of a enduring union.
The narrative begins when Tim and Millie relocate from the metropolis to the rural area for professional reasons. A familiar story element, sure, but that’s primarily where the conventions end. Together becomes as much a deep dive into the psyche of the couple's dynamic as it is a body horror flick.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While walking near their new home, a tempest descends, and the protagonists tumble into an underground cave. After spending the night there and eventually escaping, a strange force takes hold of the duo. This force creates a paranormal intimacy between them that goes far beyond simple connection.
The complete narrative is a gradually intensifying of scares, weaving in moments of fever-dream horrors, disturbing (but tastefully done) biological grotesqueries, and surprisingly comedic exchanges (sometimes in the middle of something grotesque). Michael Shanks skillfully blends these components seamlessly and delivers them in a gradually swelling aura of dread.
Layered Performances
A large part of Together is exclusively the two lead actors, and they skillfully illustrate numerous complexities to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Millie's sense of self and emotional bond is suffering due to a distance. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his reluctance to pursue anything but his failing musical ambitions gradually emerges.
In contrast, Tim's character feels trapped and separated by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve moved to the country and distant from his network of friends. He fears the notion of completely losing his personal autonomy in his partner. This fear is further exacerbated by the circumstance he can’t drive and relies on Millie for transportation.
Shanks’ smartest move in this movie avoids making either of his characters the clear bad guy.
The couple face the kind of problems that arise in long-term unions over a long period. Fundamentally, they have affection for one another. They find humor with each other, comfort one another, and open up at times. But below this facade, there’s an persistent current of uncertainty about their future together.
Allegory and Meaning
While the paranormal elements in Together represent these concerns of excessive reliance and fully committing to a partner, the allegory avoids being overly obvious or self-important. Instead, these visceral horror elements provide a brilliant analogue to the relationship narrative. Both the horror and the drama work together in harmony.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s ending, which won’t be spoiled here, has sparked debate on the film’s ultimate message about codependent relationships. Accounts suggest that single viewers have seen the movie as a powerful case for staying single. Conversely, certain partners who were in conflict found that the film actually helped them resolve their issues.
Whether you’re single or coupled up, your own response could function as a telling indicator of how you think about commitment. Will the finale inspire anxiety and horror, or a positive outlook on love? Will you recognize your own traits in one of the characters and scream at your TV, or simply look at your partner and utter, “I understand that choice”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an exploration you can undertake at this very moment.
Together is streaming on Hulu now.
