We present a dare for those in enduring partnerships who enjoy the horror genre: Get comfortable with your loved one and view Together. This critically acclaimed 2025 movie has now made its online premiere on the Hulu service. On the surface, it could look like standard biological terror, but within Together lies a profound meditation about the ways we decide to love our partners.
A Debut Feature Investigating The Nuances of Love
Together is the first full-length movie for director Michael Shanks. It stars actors Alison Brie and Dave Franco as Tim and Millie, partners that have stayed together for over ten years. United in marriage in real life in 2017, the actors contribute a particular energy to their characters, masterfully depicting both the joys and frustrations of a committed partnership.
The story begins when the couple relocate from the big city to the rural area for her career. A somewhat stereotypical story element, of course, but that’s largely where the tropes cease. Together transforms into as much a psychological exploration of the couple's dynamic as it is a film about physical terror.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While walking near their rural residence, a violent storm occurs, and the two tumble into an underground cave. After being trapped overnight there and managing to escape, a mysterious influence starts to affect the pair. This force compels a otherworldly bond between them that goes well past emotional intimacy.
The whole movie is a gradually intensifying horror experience, weaving in bits of fever-dream horrors, gross (but tastefully done) biological grotesqueries, and surprisingly comedic exchanges (sometimes in the middle of something horrific). The director weaves these elements together neatly and delivers them in a consistently growing aura of dread.
Nuanced Portrayals
A great deal of Together is solely Brie and Franco, and they masterfully render manifold depths to the partnership at the film's core. Her self-assurance and sense of connection is deteriorating due to a lack of intimacy. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his unwillingness to pursue anything but his failing musical ambitions inexorably rises.
In contrast, Tim's character feels trapped and separated by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve moved to the country and distant from his support system. He is terrified of the idea of utterly sacrificing his individual identity in his partner. This fear is intensified by the reality he does not operate a vehicle and needs Millie for transportation.
Shanks’ smartest move in Together avoids making either of his characters the clear bad guy.
The couple grapple with the type of challenges that are inherent in most partnerships over a long period. At their core, they still love one another. They still laugh together, offer support, and open up at times. But under the surface, there’s an unavoidable current of uncertainty about their future together.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the otherworldly presence in Together act as a metaphor for these concerns of excessive reliance and fully committing to a partner, the metaphor never feels overly obvious or heavy-handed. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes present a brilliant analogue to the character-driven drama. Both the supernatural and the personal enhance each other symbiotically.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s conclusion, which is best experienced firsthand, has created disagreement on the movie's final takeaway about unhealthy partnerships. Reports indicate that single viewers have interpreted the film as a strong argument for avoiding commitment. Meanwhile, a few pairs who were in conflict found that the film ended up guiding them to make up.
Whether you’re single or coupled up, your own reaction could act as a revealing measure of how you view relationships. Will the conclusion inspire anxiety and horror, or a positive outlook on love? Will you identify in one of the characters and yell at the screen, or simply look at your partner and state, “I understand that choice”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an test you can embark on at this very moment.
Together is available to watch on Hulu now.
