We present a challenge for long-term couples who are fans of horror films: Sit down with your partner and watch Together. The independent film success of 2025 recently had its streaming debut via Hulu. At first glance, it might appear like standard biological terror, but inside Together lies a deep contemplation about our choices in loving our partners.
A Debut Feature Delving into The Nuances of Love
Together is the debut feature-length film for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It stars the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Millie and Tim, partners that have been together for ten years. Married in reality in 2017, the two stars bring a particular energy to their portrayals, masterfully depicting both the joys and frustrations of a enduring union.
The story begins when Millie and Tim transition from the urban environment to the rural area for Millie’s job. A familiar plot device, of course, but that’s largely where the conventions cease. Together transforms into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the couple's dynamic as it is a movie featuring biological frights.
A Paranormal Spark
While hiking near their rural residence, a storm hits, and Millie and Tim fall into an underground cave. After spending the night there and managing to escape, a supernatural entity starts to affect the duo. This force creates a supernatural closeness between them that goes far beyond simple connection.
The entire film is a methodically building horror experience, interspersing bits of hallucinatory nightmares, gross (but never too gross) biological grotesqueries, and surprisingly comedic dialogue (sometimes amidst something disturbing). Shanks skillfully blends these components seamlessly and wraps them up in a consistently growing sense of impending doom.
Nuanced Portrayals
A significant portion of Together is exclusively the performances of its stars, and they deftly portray manifold depths to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Millie’s confidence and sense of connection is deteriorating due to a distance. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his unwillingness to focus on anything other than his failing musical ambitions gradually emerges.
Tim, on the other hand senses confinement and separated by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve moved to the country and far away from his support system. He is terrified of the concept of utterly sacrificing his individual identity in his partner. This fear is intensified by the reality he does not operate a vehicle and is dependent on Millie for getting around.
The film's most intelligent aspect in this movie avoids making Tim or Millie the obvious villain.
The couple confront the sort of issues that are inherent in any relationship after ten years. Fundamentally, they continue to care for each other. 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 relationship.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the otherworldly presence in Together act as a metaphor for these concerns of unhealthy attachment and fully committing to another person, the metaphor avoids being hamfisted or heavy-handed. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments offer a ideal counterpart to the character-driven drama. Both the supernatural and the personal work together symbiotically.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s ending, which won’t be spoiled here, has sparked debate on the story's concluding statement about enmeshed dynamics. Accounts suggest that those not in relationships have understood the narrative as a powerful case for remaining unattached. Meanwhile, some couples who were in conflict found that the film actually helped them resolve their issues.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own response could potentially serve as a revealing measure of how you think about commitment. Will the conclusion sow feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you see yourself in Tim or Millie and scream at your TV, or simply turn to your significant other and state, “We could get through that together”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an experiment you can undertake right now.
Together is streaming on Hulu at present.
