We present a test for long-term couples who are fans of horror films: Settle in with your significant other and view Together. This critically acclaimed 2025 movie just made its online premiere via Hulu. At first glance, it could look like standard body horror, but within Together exists a profound meditation about the ways we decide to love each other.
A Debut Feature Investigating The Nuances of Love
Together is the debut feature-length film for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It stars the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Millie and Tim, a pair who are not married that have been together for over ten years. United in marriage in real life in 2017, Franco and Brie bring a particular energy to their roles, expertly portraying both the strengths and weaknesses of a enduring union.
The plot commences when Tim and Millie transition from the metropolis to the countryside for professional reasons. A commonly used narrative setup, admittedly, but that’s primarily where the tropes conclude. Together evolves into as much a examination of mental states of the couple's dynamic as it is a movie featuring biological frights.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While trekking near their new home, a storm hits, and Millie and Tim tumble into an hole in the earth. After spending the night there and finally finding a way out, a strange force begins influencing the couple. This force induces a otherworldly bond between them that goes far beyond emotional intimacy.
The whole movie is a slow burn fright fest, blending elements of dreamlike terrors, disturbing (but not excessively graphic) body horror, and genuinely funny exchanges (sometimes in the middle of something grotesque). Shanks weaves these elements together expertly and presents them in a consistently growing atmosphere of fear.
Layered Performances
A significant portion of Together is solely the two lead actors, and they masterfully render numerous complexities to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Millie’s confidence and sense of connection is suffering due to a lack of intimacy. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his unwillingness to chase only his floundering music career inexorably rises.
Tim, on the other hand experiences isolation and separated by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve moved to the country and distant from his network of friends. He fears the concept of totally forfeiting his personal autonomy in another person. This fear is intensified by the reality he lacks a driver's license and is dependent on Millie for mobility.
The director's cleverest decision in Together avoids making Tim or Millie the obvious villain.
The couple face the kind of problems that arise in most partnerships after ten years. At their core, they continue to care for one another. They still laugh together, provide solace, and are vulnerable at times. But under the surface, there’s an persistent current of uncertainty about their relationship.
Allegory and Meaning
While the paranormal elements in Together act as a metaphor for these fears of excessive reliance and fully committing to a partner, the allegory avoids being clumsy or pretentious. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes present a brilliant analogue to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the horror and the drama work together in a mutually beneficial way.
A Debated Finale
Together’s ending, which remains unspoiled, has created disagreement on the story's concluding statement about codependent relationships. Reports indicate that unattached audience members have seen the movie as a compelling reason for remaining unattached. On the other hand, a few pairs experiencing tension found that the film actually helped them resolve their issues.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own response could function as a revealing measure of how you perceive partnership. Will the conclusion inspire a sense of discomfort and fear, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you recognize your own traits in one of the characters and feel frustration, or simply turn to your partner and say, “I’d do that for you”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an experiment you can undertake at this very moment.
Together is streaming on Hulu as of this moment.
