We present a dare for partners in committed relationships who appreciate horror films: Get comfortable with your partner and stream Together. This critically acclaimed 2025 movie recently had its streaming debut on the Hulu service. At first glance, it could look like typical biological terror, but inside Together lies a profound examination about our choices in loving one another.
A Directorial Debut Delving into The Nuances of Love
Together is the first full-length movie for director Michael Shanks. It showcases actors Alison Brie and Dave Franco as Millie and Tim, an unmarried couple that have been together for ten years. United in marriage in reality in 2017, the two stars infuse a special spark to their characters, expertly portraying both the joys and frustrations of a enduring union.
The story begins when Tim and Millie relocate from the big city to the countryside for her career. A somewhat stereotypical narrative setup, admittedly, but that’s primarily where the tropes cease. Together becomes as much a deep dive into the psyche of the partnership as it is a film about physical terror.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While trekking near their new home, a storm hits, and the two tumble into an subterranean cavern. After spending the night there and eventually escaping, a supernatural entity begins influencing the duo. This force induces a supernatural closeness between them that goes well past simple connection.
The whole movie is a slow burn fright fest, weaving in elements of dreamlike terrors, gross (but never too gross) biological grotesqueries, and genuinely funny dialogue (sometimes in the middle of something grotesque). Shanks orchestrates these parts expertly and wraps them up in a slowly mounting atmosphere of fear.
Layered Performances
A large part of Together is exclusively the performances of its stars, and they deftly portray numerous complexities to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Her self-assurance and emotional bond is deteriorating due to a distance. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his unwillingness to pursue anything but his floundering music career inexorably rises.
Conversely, Tim feels trapped and cut off by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve left the city and removed from his social circle. He dreads the idea of completely losing his individual identity in Millie. This fear is intensified by the reality he lacks a driver's license and relies on Millie for getting around.
Shanks’ smartest move in this movie avoids making one partner or the other the clear bad guy.
The couple face the kind of problems that arise in long-term unions a decade in. Deep down, they continue to care for one another. They still laugh together, comfort one another, and open up at times. But under the surface, there’s an inescapable current of uncertainty about their relationship.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the supernatural forces in Together represent these concerns of excessive reliance and giving oneself over to another person, the metaphor avoids being clumsy or pretentious. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes present a ideal counterpart to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the supernatural and the personal serve the other in a mutually beneficial way.
A Debated Finale
Together’s ending, which remains unspoiled, has left audiences divided on the film’s ultimate message about enmeshed dynamics. It has been said that unattached audience members have seen the movie as a compelling reason for staying single. Meanwhile, some couples who were in conflict found that the film ended up guiding them to reconcile.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own interpretation could function as a great barometer of how you view relationships. Will the finale inspire feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you identify in either protagonist and scream at your TV, or simply look at your significant other and say, “We could get through that together”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an test you can undertake right now.
Together is available to watch on Hulu's platform now.
