Here's a test for long-term couples who enjoy the horror genre: Settle in with your loved one and watch Together. This independent film success of 2025 recently had its online premiere via Hulu. At first glance, it may seem like typical biological terror, but beneath Together resides a intense meditation about how we choose to love one another.
A Directorial Debut Investigating Relationship Dynamics
Together marks the debut feature-length film for director Michael Shanks. It stars actors Alison Brie and Dave Franco as a couple named Tim and Millie, an unmarried couple that have remained a couple for a decade. Married in real life in 2017, the actors contribute a unique chemistry to their portrayals, masterfully depicting both the joys and frustrations of a committed partnership.
The story begins when Tim and Millie transition from the metropolis to the rural area for her career. A somewhat stereotypical story element, admittedly, but that’s mostly where the tropes conclude. Together evolves into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the partnership as it is a film about physical terror.
A Paranormal Spark
While trekking near their country house, a storm hits, and Millie and Tim discover an underground cave. After spending the night there and eventually escaping, a supernatural entity starts to affect the duo. This force creates a otherworldly bond between them that goes exceeding typical partnership.
The complete narrative is a slow burn of scares, interspersing bits of fever-dream horrors, unsettling (but never too gross) biological grotesqueries, and authentically humorous interactions (sometimes in the middle of something disturbing). Shanks weaves these elements together seamlessly and presents them in a slowly mounting sense of impending doom.
Complex Characterizations
A great deal of Together is only the two lead actors, and they deftly portray numerous complexities to the characters’ relationship. Her self-assurance and sense of connection is deteriorating due to a distance. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his unwillingness to chase only his failing musical ambitions slowly bubbles to the surface.
Tim, on the other hand feels trapped and separated by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve left the city and far away from his support system. He fears the idea of utterly sacrificing his sense of self in Millie. This fear is amplified by the reality he can’t drive and needs Millie for getting around.
Shanks’ smartest move is that he avoids making one partner or the other the obvious villain.
Both characters grapple with the kind of problems that come with most partnerships a decade in. At their core, they continue to care for one another. They find humor with each other, provide solace, and share intimately at times. But below this facade, there’s an inescapable current of uncertainty about their future together.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the paranormal elements in Together act as a metaphor for these anxieties of excessive reliance and giving oneself over to a partner, the symbolism never feels clumsy or heavy-handed. Instead, these visceral horror elements provide a ideal counterpart to the relationship narrative. Both the supernatural and the personal work together in a mutually beneficial way.
A Debated Finale
Together’s conclusion, which remains unspoiled, has created disagreement on the film’s ultimate message about unhealthy partnerships. Accounts suggest that single viewers have interpreted the film as a strong argument for remaining unattached. Conversely, some couples experiencing tension found that the film actually helped them resolve their issues.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own reaction could act as a revealing measure of how you think about commitment. Will the conclusion inspire anxiety and horror, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you identify in one of the characters and yell at the screen, or simply turn to your other half and say, “I’d do that for you”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an test you can embark on at this very moment.
Together is streaming on the streaming service Hulu now.
