We present a test for partners in committed relationships who appreciate the horror genre: Settle in with your loved one and watch Together. This 2025 indie hit recently had its online premiere on the Hulu service. Outwardly, it could look like typical physical horror, but within Together resides a deep meditation about the ways we decide to love each other.
An Introductory Film Investigating Partnership Complexities
Together marks the introductory feature for director Michael Shanks. It stars the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as a couple named Tim and Millie, an unmarried couple that have stayed together for over ten years. United in marriage in real life in 2017, the two stars bring a special spark to their roles, masterfully depicting both the good and bad of a committed partnership.
The narrative begins when the couple relocate from the urban environment to the rural area for Millie’s job. A familiar plot device, sure, but that’s largely where the tropes conclude. Together transforms into as much a psychological exploration of the pair’s relationship as it is a film about physical terror.
A Paranormal Spark
While walking near their country house, a tempest descends, and the two tumble into an subterranean cavern. After spending the night there and finally finding a way out, a strange force begins influencing the duo. This force compels a paranormal intimacy between them that goes far beyond typical partnership.
The whole movie is a gradually intensifying horror experience, blending elements of dreamlike terrors, unsettling (but tastefully done) biological grotesqueries, and authentically humorous dialogue (sometimes during something horrific). Michael Shanks orchestrates these parts neatly and presents them in a consistently growing sense of impending doom.
Nuanced Portrayals
A large part of Together is exclusively the performances of its stars, and they masterfully render manifold depths to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Millie’s confidence and feeling of intimacy is waning due to a lack of intimacy. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his reluctance to pursue anything but his floundering music career inexorably rises.
Conversely, Tim feels trapped and isolated 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 another person. This fear is intensified by the fact he does not operate a vehicle and is dependent on Millie for mobility.
The film's most intelligent aspect in this movie never makes one partner or the other the obvious villain.
Both characters confront the kind of problems that arise in any relationship over a long period. Deep down, they have affection for each other. They still laugh together, provide solace, and share intimately at times. But under the surface, there’s an inescapable current of uncertainty about their relationship.
Thematic Depth
While the paranormal elements in Together symbolize these anxieties of excessive reliance and fully committing to a partner, the symbolism never feels hamfisted or self-important. Instead, these visceral horror elements provide a ideal counterpart to the character-driven drama. Both the supernatural and the personal work together in harmony.
A Debated Finale
Together’s conclusion, which won’t be spoiled here, has left audiences divided on the story's concluding statement about unhealthy partnerships. Accounts suggest that single viewers have interpreted the film as a powerful case for remaining unattached. Meanwhile, a few pairs experiencing tension found that the film ended up guiding them to reconcile.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own reaction could potentially serve as a telling indicator of how you view relationships. Will the conclusion sow anxiety and horror, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you see yourself in either protagonist and yell at the screen, or simply turn to your other half and utter, “We could get through that together”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an exploration you can undertake at this very moment.
Together is available to watch on Hulu now.
