Consider this a dare for partners in committed relationships who are fans of scary movies: Get comfortable with your loved one and view Together. The 2025 indie hit has now made its online premiere on the Hulu service. Outwardly, it could look like conventional physical horror, but within Together resides a profound contemplation about the ways we decide to love our partners.
An Introductory Film Investigating Partnership Complexities
Together is the first full-length movie for director Michael Shanks. It stars the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Tim and Millie, a pair who are not married that have remained a couple for a decade. Married in reality in 2017, the two stars bring a unique chemistry to their roles, expertly portraying both the strengths and weaknesses of a committed partnership.
The narrative commences when Tim and Millie move from the big city to the rural area for professional reasons. A somewhat stereotypical story element, admittedly, but that’s largely where the tropes cease. Together transforms into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the pair’s relationship as it is a film about physical terror.
A Paranormal Spark
While trekking near their country house, a violent storm occurs, and the two discover an underground cave. After a night spent there and finally finding a way out, a strange force takes hold of the pair. This force induces a paranormal intimacy between them that goes exceeding simple connection.
The whole movie is a gradually intensifying of scares, interspersing elements of hallucinatory nightmares, gross (but not excessively graphic) biological grotesqueries, and genuinely funny exchanges (sometimes during something disturbing). The director weaves these elements together expertly and presents them in a consistently growing atmosphere of fear.
Complex Characterizations
A large part of Together is solely the performances of its stars, and they masterfully render manifold depths to the partnership at the film's core. Her self-assurance and emotional bond is deteriorating due to a distance. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his hesitance to chase only his floundering music career gradually emerges.
Conversely, Tim experiences isolation and isolated by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve moved to the country and removed from his social circle. He is terrified of the idea of totally forfeiting his personal autonomy in Millie. This fear is further exacerbated by the reality he lacks a driver's license and needs Millie for transportation.
Shanks’ smartest move is that he never makes Tim or Millie the obvious villain.
Tim and Millie confront the kind of problems that are inherent in most partnerships over a long period. Deep down, they continue to care for each other. They find humor with each other, offer support, and open up at times. But beneath it all, there’s an unavoidable feeling of questioning about their future together.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the otherworldly presence in Together represent these concerns of unhealthy attachment and totally devoting oneself to another person, the metaphor does not come across as hamfisted or heavy-handed. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments provide a brilliant analogue to the relationship narrative. Both the supernatural and the personal serve the other in a mutually beneficial way.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s final act, which is best experienced firsthand, has created disagreement on the film’s ultimate message about enmeshed dynamics. Reports indicate that those not in relationships have interpreted the film as a strong argument for remaining unattached. Conversely, certain partners who were in conflict found that the film actually helped them make up.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own reaction could function as a telling indicator of how you view relationships. Will the finale plant feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you recognize your own traits in either protagonist and yell at the screen, or simply look at your other half and say, “We could get through that together”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an test you can embark on today.
Together is streaming on Hulu's platform as of this moment.
