Here's a test for partners in committed relationships who are fans of horror films: Sit down with your partner and stream Together. This critically acclaimed 2025 movie just made its streaming debut on Hulu. Outwardly, it may seem like typical physical horror, but beneath Together lies a profound meditation about how we choose to love our partners.
An Introductory Film Investigating Relationship Dynamics
Together marks the debut feature-length film for director Michael Shanks. It features actors Alison Brie and Dave Franco as Millie and Tim, a pair who are not married that have been together for ten years. United in marriage in reality in 2017, the two stars bring a unique chemistry to their roles, skillfully embodying both the joys and frustrations of a enduring union.
The plot begins when the couple relocate from the big city to the rural area for her career. A familiar story element, admittedly, but that’s primarily where the conventions cease. Together transforms into as much a examination of mental states of the couple's dynamic as it is a film about physical terror.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While walking near their rural residence, a tempest descends, and the protagonists discover an underground cave. After being trapped overnight there and finally finding a way out, a supernatural entity starts to affect the pair. This force creates a supernatural closeness between them that goes exceeding simple connection.
The whole movie is a slow burn of scares, interspersing bits of dreamlike terrors, gross (but not excessively graphic) body horror, and genuinely funny interactions (sometimes amidst something horrific). Shanks orchestrates these parts seamlessly and presents them in a gradually swelling atmosphere of fear.
Layered Performances
A great deal of Together is solely Brie and Franco, and they skillfully illustrate countless layers to the partnership at the film's core. Millie’s confidence and feeling of intimacy is suffering due to a lack of intimacy. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his unwillingness to chase only his floundering music career gradually emerges.
Conversely, Tim experiences isolation and separated by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve moved to the country and removed from his network of friends. He is terrified of the notion of completely losing his sense of self in Millie. This fear is further exacerbated by the reality he can’t drive and needs Millie for mobility.
The film's most intelligent aspect is that he avoids making Tim or Millie the clear bad guy.
Both characters grapple with the type of challenges that come with any relationship a decade in. At their core, they continue to care for one another. They still laugh together, comfort one another, and are vulnerable at times. But beneath it all, there’s an persistent current of uncertainty about their future together.
Thematic Depth
While the paranormal elements in Together act as a metaphor for these anxieties of unhealthy attachment and giving oneself over to a partner, the symbolism does not come across as clumsy or pretentious. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes provide a perfect parallel to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the horror and the drama enhance each other in a mutually beneficial way.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s final act, which remains unspoiled, has created disagreement on the film’s ultimate message about enmeshed dynamics. Reports indicate that those not in relationships have understood the narrative as a compelling reason for avoiding commitment. On the other hand, a few pairs experiencing tension found that the film actually helped them make up.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own response could function as a revealing measure of how you view relationships. Will the finale plant anxiety and horror, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you identify in either protagonist and feel frustration, or simply turn to your other half and utter, “We could get through that together”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an test you can undertake at this very moment.
Together is streaming on Hulu's platform at present.
