We present a dare for those in enduring partnerships who appreciate scary movies: Settle in with your partner and watch Together. The independent film success of 2025 just made its online premiere on the Hulu service. Outwardly, it could look like standard biological terror, but inside Together exists a intense meditation about the ways we decide to love each other.
A Directorial Debut Delving into The Nuances of Love
Together represents the debut feature-length film for director Michael Shanks. It stars actors Alison Brie and Dave Franco as Millie and Tim, a pair who are not married that have remained a couple for a decade. Having wed in real life in 2017, Franco and Brie infuse a special spark to their characters, masterfully depicting both the strengths and weaknesses of a committed partnership.
The story commences when Tim and Millie transition from the metropolis to the rural area for professional reasons. A commonly used plot device, sure, but that’s mostly where the conventions cease. Together evolves into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the couple's dynamic as it is a film about physical terror.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While walking near their rural residence, a tempest descends, and the two discover an subterranean cavern. After a night spent there and eventually escaping, a mysterious influence starts to affect the couple. This force induces a paranormal intimacy between them that goes exceeding simple connection.
The entire film is a methodically building horror experience, interspersing elements of dreamlike terrors, gross (but tastefully done) physical transformations, and genuinely funny interactions (sometimes amidst something grotesque). Shanks orchestrates these parts neatly and wraps them up in a gradually swelling aura of dread.
Layered Performances
A large part of Together is only the two lead actors, and they masterfully render numerous complexities to the partnership at the film's core. Millie's sense of self and emotional bond is deteriorating due to a lack of intimacy. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his hesitance to focus on anything other than his floundering music career inexorably rises.
Tim, on the other hand feels trapped and isolated by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve relocated rural and far away from his social circle. He fears the idea of completely losing his sense of self in Millie. This fear is further exacerbated by the circumstance he can’t drive and relies on Millie for transportation.
The director's cleverest decision in this movie avoids making Tim or Millie the obvious villain.
Both characters grapple with the kind of problems that are inherent in long-term unions over a long period. Deep down, they still love each other. They find humor with each other, comfort one another, and share intimately at times. But below this facade, there’s an unavoidable feeling of questioning about their relationship.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the otherworldly presence in Together act as a metaphor for these anxieties of excessive reliance and totally devoting oneself to a partner, the symbolism never feels hamfisted or heavy-handed. Instead, these visceral horror elements present a ideal counterpart to the relationship narrative. Both the frights and the fights serve the other symbiotically.
A Debated Finale
Together’s ending, which won’t be spoiled here, has sparked debate on the story's concluding statement about codependent relationships. It has been said that single viewers have seen the movie as a compelling reason for avoiding commitment. Meanwhile, some couples experiencing tension found that the film ultimately assisted them make up.
Whether you’re single or coupled up, your own response could potentially serve as a revealing measure of how you perceive partnership. Will the conclusion sow a sense of discomfort and fear, or a positive outlook on love? Will you identify in Tim or Millie and scream at your TV, or simply glance toward your partner and say, “We could get through that together”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an exploration you can undertake at this very moment.
Together is available to watch on Hulu's platform at present.
