We present a dare for partners in committed relationships who are fans of horror films: Sit down with your significant other and view Together. The independent film success of 2025 recently had its online premiere on the Hulu service. Outwardly, it could look like conventional biological terror, but within Together resides a deep meditation about our choices in loving our partners.
An Introductory Film Investigating Partnership Complexities
Together marks the first full-length movie for director Michael Shanks. It features Dave Franco and Alison Brie as a couple named Tim and Millie, an unmarried couple that have stayed together for a decade. Married in real life in 2017, Franco and Brie contribute a special spark to their characters, masterfully depicting both the strengths and weaknesses of a long-term relationship.
The plot commences when Tim and Millie move from the urban environment to the countryside for Millie’s job. A commonly used story element, admittedly, but that’s primarily where the cliches conclude. Together becomes as much a deep dive into the psyche of the pair’s relationship as it is a body horror flick.
A Paranormal Spark
While trekking near their rural residence, a storm hits, and the protagonists fall into an hole in the earth. After a night spent there and finally finding a way out, a strange force takes hold of the pair. This force induces a paranormal intimacy between them that goes exceeding simple connection.
The entire film is a slow burn of scares, interspersing bits of fever-dream horrors, gross (but not excessively graphic) physical transformations, and surprisingly comedic dialogue (sometimes in the middle of something grotesque). Michael Shanks weaves these elements together seamlessly and wraps them up in a gradually swelling aura of dread.
Nuanced Portrayals
A significant portion of Together is only the performances of its stars, and they masterfully render numerous complexities to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Millie’s confidence and emotional bond is deteriorating due to a emotional and physical gap. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his unwillingness to focus on anything other than his struggling artistic pursuits gradually emerges.
Conversely, Tim senses confinement and separated by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve moved to the country and distant from his network of friends. He is terrified of the concept of totally forfeiting his individual identity in Millie. This fear is further exacerbated by the circumstance he lacks a driver's license and relies on Millie for mobility.
The director's cleverest decision in Together avoids making Tim or Millie the clear bad guy.
Tim and Millie grapple with the type of challenges that arise in any relationship over a long period. Fundamentally, they have affection for each other. They still laugh together, comfort one another, and are vulnerable at times. But below this facade, there’s an inescapable current of uncertainty about their future together.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the otherworldly presence in Together act as a metaphor for these fears of excessive reliance and giving oneself over to another person, the allegory never feels hamfisted or heavy-handed. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes offer a brilliant analogue to the character-driven drama. Both the supernatural and the personal serve the other in a mutually beneficial way.
A Debated Finale
Together’s conclusion, which is best experienced firsthand, has created disagreement on the film’s ultimate message about codependent relationships. It has been said that those not in relationships have understood the narrative as a compelling reason for avoiding commitment. On the other hand, a few pairs having disagreements found that the film ended up guiding them to make up.
Whether you’re single or coupled up, your own response could potentially serve as a telling indicator of how you perceive partnership. Will the finale inspire a sense of discomfort and fear, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you see yourself in Tim or Millie and feel frustration, or simply look at your partner and say, “We could get through that together”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an exploration you can embark on right now.
Together is streaming on the streaming service Hulu as of this moment.
