Consider this a challenge for partners in committed relationships who are fans of horror films: Settle in with your loved one and watch Together. This 2025 indie hit has now made its streaming debut on the Hulu service. Outwardly, it could look like conventional body horror, but beneath Together lies a profound examination about the ways we decide to love our partners.
A Directorial Debut Exploring Partnership Complexities
Together is the first full-length movie for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It features actors Alison Brie and Dave Franco as Tim and Millie, a pair who are not married that have stayed together for a decade. United in marriage in real life in 2017, the actors contribute a unique chemistry to their roles, expertly portraying both the joys and frustrations of a committed partnership.
The narrative starts when Tim and Millie move from the big city to the country for her career. A commonly used narrative setup, of course, but that’s primarily where the cliches end. Together evolves into as much a psychological exploration of the couple's dynamic as it is a film about physical terror.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While hiking near their rural residence, a violent storm occurs, and Millie and Tim tumble into an hole in the earth. After being trapped overnight there and managing to escape, a supernatural entity starts to affect the duo. This force creates a paranormal intimacy between them that goes far beyond typical partnership.
The complete narrative is a slow burn horror experience, interspersing bits of dreamlike terrors, disturbing (but tastefully done) physical transformations, and genuinely funny dialogue (sometimes amidst something disturbing). The director orchestrates these parts seamlessly and presents them in a consistently growing sense of impending doom.
Nuanced Portrayals
A great deal of Together is solely the two lead actors, and they deftly portray numerous complexities to the partnership at the film's core. Millie's sense of self and feeling of intimacy is waning due to a emotional and physical gap. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his reluctance to pursue anything but his failing musical ambitions slowly bubbles to the surface.
In contrast, Tim's character experiences isolation and cut off by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve moved to the country and removed from his network of friends. He fears the concept of utterly sacrificing his personal autonomy in his partner. This fear is amplified by the circumstance he can’t drive and relies on Millie for mobility.
The director's cleverest decision in Together never makes Tim or Millie the obvious villain.
Both characters grapple with the sort of issues that are inherent in most partnerships over a long period. Fundamentally, they continue to care for one another. They find humor with each other, comfort one another, and are vulnerable at times. But under the surface, there’s an inescapable undercurrent of doubt about their bond.
Thematic Depth
While the supernatural forces in Together represent these concerns of unhealthy attachment and giving oneself over to a partner, the symbolism does not come across as overly obvious or self-important. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments offer a brilliant analogue to the character-driven drama. Both the supernatural and the personal enhance each other in harmony.
A Debated Finale
Together’s ending, which is best experienced firsthand, has created disagreement on the film’s ultimate message about codependent relationships. Accounts suggest that unattached audience members have interpreted the film as a compelling reason for remaining unattached. On the other hand, certain partners experiencing tension found that the film ended up guiding them to reconcile.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own response could potentially serve as a great barometer of how you view relationships. Will the finale 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 look at your other half and say, “I understand that choice”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an experiment you can embark on right now.
Together is available to watch on Hulu's platform at present.
