Here's a test for those in enduring partnerships who are fans of horror films: Sit down with your partner and view Together. The independent film success of 2025 has now made its streaming debut on the Hulu service. At first glance, it may seem like conventional physical horror, but beneath Together lies a deep examination about how we choose to love one another.
Together marks the first full-length movie for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It showcases the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as a couple named Tim and Millie, a pair who are not married that have remained a couple for over ten years. Having wed in reality in 2017, the two stars infuse a special spark to their characters, masterfully depicting both the strengths and weaknesses of a committed partnership.
The narrative starts when Millie and Tim relocate from the big city to the country for professional reasons. A somewhat stereotypical plot device, admittedly, but that’s mostly where the conventions end. Together transforms into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the partnership as it is a film about physical terror.
While trekking near their country house, a violent storm occurs, and the two discover an hole in the earth. After a night spent there and finally finding a way out, a mysterious influence begins influencing the couple. This force creates a paranormal intimacy between them that goes exceeding simple connection.
The whole movie is a gradually intensifying fright fest, interspersing moments of fever-dream horrors, disturbing (but never too gross) biological grotesqueries, and surprisingly comedic exchanges (sometimes during something horrific). Michael Shanks weaves these elements together neatly and presents them in a consistently growing sense of impending doom.
A great deal of Together is solely Brie and Franco, and they deftly portray numerous complexities to the characters’ relationship. Her self-assurance and emotional bond is deteriorating due to a emotional and physical gap. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his hesitance to focus on anything other than his struggling artistic pursuits inexorably rises.
Conversely, Tim experiences isolation and separated by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve moved to the country and removed from his network of friends. He dreads the concept of utterly sacrificing his individual identity in his partner. This fear is intensified by the circumstance he lacks a driver's license and needs Millie for transportation.
The director's cleverest decision in this movie refrains from painting one partner or the other the clear bad guy.
Tim and Millie face the sort of issues that come with long-term unions over a long period. Fundamentally, they have affection for one another. They share moments of joy, provide solace, and share intimately at times. But below this facade, there’s an unavoidable feeling of questioning about their bond.
While the supernatural forces in Together represent these concerns of codependency and giving oneself over to a partner, the symbolism never feels hamfisted or heavy-handed. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes provide a brilliant analogue to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the frights and the fights serve the other in a mutually beneficial way.
Together’s conclusion, which won’t be spoiled here, has sparked debate on the story's concluding statement about unhealthy partnerships. It has been said that those not in relationships have seen the movie as a powerful case for remaining unattached. Meanwhile, a few pairs who were in conflict found that the film actually helped them reconcile.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own interpretation could potentially serve as a revealing measure of how you think about commitment. Will the conclusion plant a sense of discomfort and fear, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you see yourself in Tim or Millie and scream at your TV, or simply turn to your other half and state, “I’d do that for you”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an exploration you can undertake right now.
Together is streaming on Hulu at present.
Eva de Vries is a passionate book lover and local writer from Eindhoven.
