We present a test for partners in committed relationships who enjoy the horror genre: Settle in with your significant other and stream Together. This 2025 indie hit recently had its streaming debut via Hulu. Outwardly, it may seem like typical physical horror, but inside Together lies a deep examination about the ways we decide to love one another.
Together marks the debut feature-length film for director Michael Shanks. It stars the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as a couple named Tim and Millie, a pair who are not married that have stayed together for ten years. United in marriage in reality in 2017, the two stars bring a unique chemistry to their characters, skillfully embodying both the joys and frustrations of a long-term relationship.
The narrative starts when the couple relocate from the urban environment to the countryside for professional reasons. A commonly used narrative setup, admittedly, but that’s primarily where the conventions conclude. Together transforms into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the partnership as it is a body horror flick.
While walking near their rural residence, a storm hits, and the protagonists discover an hole in the earth. After being trapped overnight there and managing to escape, a supernatural entity begins influencing the pair. This force compels a otherworldly bond between them that goes exceeding typical partnership.
The whole movie is a methodically building of scares, interspersing bits of fever-dream horrors, gross (but tastefully done) body horror, and surprisingly comedic dialogue (sometimes in the middle of something disturbing). The director orchestrates these parts neatly and delivers them in a gradually swelling aura of dread.
A significant portion of Together is only the two lead actors, and they skillfully illustrate countless layers to the partnership at the film's core. Her self-assurance and emotional bond is deteriorating due to a emotional and physical gap. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his hesitance to chase only his failing musical ambitions gradually emerges.
Conversely, Tim experiences isolation and isolated by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve relocated rural and distant from his support system. He is terrified of the idea of completely losing his sense of self in Millie. This fear is intensified by the fact he can’t drive and needs Millie for mobility.
Shanks’ smartest move in this movie refrains from painting one partner or the other the clear bad guy.
The couple face the kind of problems that arise in any relationship after ten years. At their core, they still love each other. They still laugh together, comfort one another, and open up at times. But beneath it all, there’s an inescapable feeling of questioning about their bond.
While the supernatural forces in Together act as a metaphor for these concerns of unhealthy attachment and giving oneself over to another person, the metaphor avoids being overly obvious or pretentious. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments present a ideal counterpart to the character-driven drama. Both the horror and the drama work together symbiotically.
Together’s conclusion, which won’t be spoiled here, has left audiences divided on the story's concluding statement about enmeshed dynamics. It has been said that those not in relationships have understood the narrative as a powerful case for staying single. Conversely, certain partners who were in conflict found that the film actually helped them reconcile.
Whether you’re single or coupled up, your own response could potentially serve as a revealing measure of how you perceive partnership. Will the finale plant feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a positive outlook on love? Will you recognize your own traits in either protagonist and feel frustration, or simply turn to your partner and utter, “I understand that choice”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an test you can embark on at this very moment.
Together is currently playing on the streaming service Hulu at present.
A tech journalist with over a decade of experience covering emerging technologies and digital innovation across global markets.
