We present a challenge for those in enduring partnerships who appreciate scary movies: Get comfortable with your loved one and view Together. The independent film success of 2025 just made its streaming debut on Hulu. On the surface, it could look like typical physical horror, but inside Together lies a profound contemplation about our choices in loving one another.
An Introductory Film Exploring Relationship Dynamics
Together marks the first full-length movie for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It features actors Alison Brie and Dave Franco as Millie and Tim, partners that have remained a couple for a decade. United in marriage in reality in 2017, Franco and Brie contribute a unique chemistry to their portrayals, skillfully embodying both the good and bad of a enduring union.
The plot begins when Tim and Millie move from the big city to the rural area for her career. A familiar plot device, of course, but that’s largely where the tropes end. Together becomes as much a deep dive into the psyche of the couple's dynamic as it is a film about physical terror.
A Paranormal Spark
While walking near their rural residence, a storm hits, and the protagonists discover an underground cave. After spending the night there and eventually escaping, a supernatural entity starts to affect the pair. This force induces a otherworldly bond between them that goes well past emotional intimacy.
The complete narrative is a slow burn fright fest, weaving in moments of dreamlike terrors, disturbing (but tastefully done) biological grotesqueries, and surprisingly comedic dialogue (sometimes amidst something grotesque). Shanks skillfully blends these components neatly and delivers them in a gradually swelling sense of impending doom.
Layered Performances
A great deal of Together is only Brie and Franco, and they masterfully render numerous complexities to the characters’ relationship. Millie’s confidence and emotional bond is deteriorating due to a lack of intimacy. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his reluctance to pursue anything but his floundering music career gradually emerges.
In contrast, Tim's character experiences isolation and isolated by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve left the city and far away from his support system. He is terrified of the notion of completely losing his sense of self in Millie. This fear is amplified by the reality he lacks a driver's license and relies on Millie for getting around.
The director's cleverest decision in Together avoids making one partner or the other the obvious villain.
Tim and Millie grapple with the sort of issues that come with most partnerships after ten years. Fundamentally, they continue to care for each other. They find humor with each other, comfort one another, and open up at times. But under the surface, there’s an persistent feeling of questioning about their relationship.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the paranormal elements in Together symbolize these fears of excessive reliance and giving oneself over to a partner, the symbolism does not come across as overly obvious or heavy-handed. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes provide a perfect parallel to the relationship narrative. Both the frights and the fights enhance each other in a mutually beneficial way.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s conclusion, which remains unspoiled, has created disagreement on the film’s ultimate message about enmeshed dynamics. Reports indicate that single viewers have seen the movie as a powerful case for remaining unattached. Meanwhile, certain partners having disagreements found that the film ultimately assisted them resolve their issues.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own reaction could potentially serve as a great barometer of how you perceive partnership. Will the finale inspire a sense of discomfort and fear, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you see yourself in Tim or Millie and yell at the screen, or simply glance toward your other half and state, “I understand that choice”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an test you can experience right now.
Together is available to watch on Hulu now.
