Here's a dare for long-term couples who enjoy scary movies: Get comfortable with your significant other and stream Together. This independent film success of 2025 has now made its online premiere on the Hulu service. On the surface, it could look like typical body horror, but inside Together exists a profound contemplation about our choices in loving one another.
A Directorial Debut Delving into The Nuances of Love
Together marks the introductory feature for director Michael Shanks. It stars 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 reality in 2017, the two stars bring a special spark to their roles, expertly portraying both the joys and frustrations of a committed partnership.
The story starts when Tim and Millie relocate from the big city to the countryside for her career. A commonly used story element, of course, but that’s largely where the tropes cease. Together becomes as much a deep dive into the psyche of the couple's dynamic as it is a body horror flick.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While walking near their rural residence, a violent storm occurs, and the two tumble into an hole in the earth. After being trapped overnight there and eventually escaping, a mysterious influence starts to affect the duo. This force creates a supernatural closeness between them that goes far beyond emotional intimacy.
The complete narrative is a gradually intensifying fright fest, weaving in elements of fever-dream horrors, unsettling (but not excessively graphic) biological grotesqueries, and genuinely funny interactions (sometimes in the middle of something grotesque). Shanks orchestrates these parts neatly and presents them in a consistently growing sense of impending doom.
Layered Performances
A significant portion of Together is solely the performances of its stars, and they masterfully render manifold depths to the partnership at the film's core. Millie's sense of self and sense of connection is waning due to a distance. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his hesitance to chase only his floundering music career gradually emerges.
In contrast, Tim's character senses confinement and isolated by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve left the city and far away from his social circle. He is terrified of the idea of completely losing his personal autonomy in his partner. This fear is amplified by the fact he lacks a driver's license and is dependent on Millie for mobility.
Shanks’ smartest move is that he refrains from painting Tim or Millie the definite antagonist.
The couple grapple with the kind of problems that come with any relationship over a long period. At their core, they have affection for each other. They share moments of joy, provide solace, and open up at times. But beneath it all, there’s an unavoidable undercurrent of doubt about their relationship.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the paranormal elements in Together symbolize these concerns of excessive reliance and giving oneself over to another person, the allegory avoids being hamfisted or heavy-handed. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments offer a perfect parallel to the relationship narrative. Both the frights and the fights work together in a mutually beneficial way.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s ending, which is best experienced firsthand, has left audiences divided on the story's concluding statement about unhealthy partnerships. It has been said that unattached audience members have seen the movie as a strong argument for avoiding commitment. On the other hand, some couples who were in conflict found that the film actually helped them reconcile.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own reaction could function as a great barometer of how you view relationships. Will the conclusion sow anxiety and horror, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you see yourself in Tim or Millie and scream at your TV, or simply look at your other half and state, “I’d do that for you”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an test you can experience at this very moment.
Together is available to watch on Hulu as of this moment.