We present a dare for long-term couples who enjoy the horror genre: Sit down with your partner and view Together. The critically acclaimed 2025 movie recently had its launch on a streaming platform on the Hulu service. At first glance, it might appear like conventional biological terror, but within Together exists a intense examination about our choices in loving one another.
An Introductory Film Investigating The Nuances of Love
Together is the first full-length movie for director Michael Shanks. It stars Dave Franco and Alison Brie as a couple named Tim and Millie, an unmarried couple that have remained a couple for over ten years. Married in real life in 2017, the actors infuse a unique chemistry to their characters, masterfully depicting both the joys and frustrations of a long-term relationship.
The plot starts when the couple move from the metropolis to the country for Millie’s job. A familiar narrative setup, of course, but that’s largely where the conventions end. Together evolves into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the pair’s relationship as it is a film about physical terror.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While walking near their new home, a violent storm occurs, and the two tumble into an hole in the earth. After a night spent there and finally finding a way out, a strange force begins influencing the pair. This force creates a otherworldly bond between them that goes exceeding typical partnership.
The whole movie is a gradually intensifying fright fest, blending moments of dreamlike terrors, disturbing (but never too gross) biological grotesqueries, and surprisingly comedic dialogue (sometimes amidst something horrific). The director skillfully blends these components neatly and presents them in a consistently growing sense of impending doom.
Nuanced Portrayals
A great deal of Together is exclusively the two lead actors, and they masterfully render countless layers to the characters’ relationship. Millie’s confidence and feeling of intimacy is suffering due to a distance. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his hesitance to focus on anything other than his floundering music career slowly bubbles to the surface.
Conversely, Tim experiences isolation and separated by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve left the city and removed from his social circle. He dreads the notion of totally forfeiting his individual identity in his partner. This fear is further exacerbated by the reality he lacks a driver's license and relies on Millie for transportation.
Shanks’ smartest move in Together never makes Tim or Millie the clear bad guy.
Tim and Millie face the type of challenges that are inherent in long-term unions after ten years. Deep down, they still love one another. They find humor with each other, provide solace, and are vulnerable at times. But beneath it all, there’s an inescapable current of uncertainty about their relationship.
Thematic Depth
While the supernatural forces in Together represent these anxieties of unhealthy attachment and fully committing to a partner, the allegory avoids being clumsy or heavy-handed. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments present a perfect parallel to the relationship narrative. Both the horror and the drama work together symbiotically.
A Debated Finale
Together’s ending, which won’t be spoiled here, has sparked debate on the film’s ultimate message about unhealthy partnerships. Reports indicate that those not in relationships have interpreted the film as a strong argument for staying single. Meanwhile, certain partners experiencing tension found that the film actually helped them reconcile.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own response could act as a great barometer of how you view relationships. Will the conclusion plant a sense of discomfort and fear, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you recognize your own traits in Tim or Millie and yell at the screen, or simply glance toward your other half and state, “We could get through that together”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an experiment you can experience right now.
Together is available to watch on the streaming service Hulu as of this moment.
