Consider this a dare for those in enduring partnerships who appreciate horror films: Sit down with your partner and stream Together. This critically acclaimed 2025 movie just made its streaming debut on the Hulu service. On the surface, it could look like conventional physical horror, but within Together lies a deep examination about the ways we decide to love our partners.
An Introductory Film Exploring The Nuances of Love
Together is the introductory feature for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It stars actors Alison Brie and Dave Franco as Millie and Tim, partners that have remained a couple for over ten years. Married in actuality in 2017, the actors contribute a particular energy to their portrayals, masterfully depicting both the good and bad of a long-term relationship.
The plot begins when the couple move from the big city to the countryside for professional reasons. A familiar narrative setup, sure, but that’s largely where the cliches conclude. Together evolves 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 country house, a tempest descends, and Millie and Tim discover an hole in the earth. After spending the night there and eventually escaping, a supernatural entity takes hold of the duo. This force compels a otherworldly bond between them that goes far beyond emotional intimacy.
The entire film is a methodically building horror experience, weaving in bits of fever-dream horrors, unsettling (but not excessively graphic) physical transformations, and genuinely funny dialogue (sometimes during something grotesque). Michael Shanks weaves these elements together neatly and delivers them in a consistently growing atmosphere of fear.
Layered Performances
A large part of Together is solely Brie and Franco, and they deftly portray countless layers to the characters’ relationship. Millie’s confidence and feeling of intimacy is deteriorating due to a distance. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his hesitance to focus on anything other than his struggling artistic pursuits inexorably rises.
Conversely, Tim feels trapped and cut off by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve moved to the country and distant from his social circle. He is terrified of the notion of completely losing his individual identity in another person. This fear is amplified by the fact he lacks a driver's license and is dependent on Millie for getting around.
Shanks’ smartest move in Together never makes one partner or the other the obvious villain.
The couple grapple with the sort of issues that arise in any relationship a decade in. Deep down, they continue to care for one another. They share moments of joy, comfort one another, and open up at times. But beneath it all, there’s an unavoidable current of uncertainty about their bond.
Thematic Depth
While the otherworldly presence in Together represent these fears of unhealthy attachment and giving oneself over to another person, the metaphor does not come across as clumsy or heavy-handed. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes offer a brilliant analogue to the character-driven drama. Both the horror and the drama work together in a mutually beneficial way.
A Debated Finale
Together’s ending, which won’t be spoiled here, has left audiences divided on the story's concluding statement about unhealthy partnerships. Accounts suggest that single viewers have interpreted the film as a strong argument for staying single. On the other hand, certain partners who were in conflict found that the film ended up guiding them to resolve their issues.
Whether you’re single or coupled up, your own response could potentially serve as a telling indicator of how you perceive partnership. Will the ending sow feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you recognize your own traits in Tim or Millie and feel frustration, or simply glance toward your significant other and utter, “We could get through that together”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an test you can experience today.
Together is currently playing on the streaming service Hulu now.
