We present a dare for those in enduring partnerships who are fans of the horror genre: Get comfortable with your loved one and stream Together. The critically acclaimed 2025 movie just made its launch on a streaming platform via Hulu. On the surface, it could look like conventional biological terror, but beneath Together exists a intense contemplation about the ways we decide to love one another.
Together is the introductory feature for director Michael Shanks. It stars the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as a couple named Tim and Millie, an unmarried couple that have remained a couple for ten years. Married in actuality in 2017, the two stars contribute a unique chemistry to their roles, expertly portraying both the strengths and weaknesses of a long-term relationship.
The story begins when the couple relocate from the urban environment to the rural area for Millie’s job. A somewhat stereotypical story element, admittedly, but that’s largely where the tropes conclude. Together evolves into as much a examination of mental states of the partnership as it is a movie featuring biological frights.
While walking near their rural residence, a violent storm occurs, and the protagonists fall into an hole in the earth. After spending the night there and managing to escape, a supernatural entity takes hold of the duo. This force creates a supernatural closeness between them that goes far beyond emotional intimacy.
The entire film is a methodically building horror experience, weaving in moments of dreamlike terrors, unsettling (but tastefully done) body horror, and authentically humorous interactions (sometimes amidst something disturbing). The director weaves these elements together neatly and presents them in a slowly mounting sense of impending doom.
A significant portion of Together is only Brie and Franco, and they deftly portray countless layers to the characters’ relationship. Millie's sense of self and emotional bond is suffering due to a lack of intimacy. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his reluctance to focus on anything other than his floundering music career inexorably rises.
Tim, on the other hand senses confinement and separated by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve left the city and distant from his social circle. He dreads the idea of completely losing his individual identity in his partner. This fear is further exacerbated by the reality he does not operate a vehicle and is dependent on Millie for getting around.
The film's most intelligent aspect is that he refrains from painting Tim or Millie the clear bad guy.
Both characters face the type of challenges that arise in most partnerships a decade in. At their core, they still love one another. They still laugh together, offer support, and are vulnerable at times. But below this facade, there’s an unavoidable undercurrent of doubt about their relationship.
While the supernatural forces in Together represent these fears of codependency and giving oneself over to a partner, the metaphor never feels overly obvious or self-important. Instead, these visceral horror elements provide a brilliant analogue to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the frights and the fights enhance each other in a mutually beneficial way.
Together’s ending, which remains unspoiled, has created disagreement on the story's concluding statement about enmeshed dynamics. It has been said that those not in relationships have interpreted the film as a compelling reason for remaining unattached. Meanwhile, certain partners experiencing tension found that the film ultimately assisted them resolve their issues.
Whether you’re single or coupled up, your own interpretation could potentially serve as a great barometer of how you perceive partnership. Will the finale inspire feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you identify in Tim or Millie and feel frustration, or simply turn to your significant other and state, “I understand that choice”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an exploration you can undertake at this very moment.
Together is available to watch on Hulu's platform at present.
Maya Chen is a freelance writer and urban enthusiast with a passion for documenting city life and cultural shifts.
