Consider this a test for partners in committed relationships who appreciate scary movies: Settle in with your loved one and stream Together. The independent film success of 2025 recently had its online premiere on the Hulu service. At first glance, it might appear like standard body horror, but within Together exists a deep examination about our choices in loving our partners.
An Introductory Film Delving into The Nuances of Love
Together represents the debut feature-length film for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It stars the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as a couple named Tim and Millie, partners that have been together for a decade. Married in real life in 2017, Franco and Brie infuse a special spark to their roles, skillfully embodying both the joys and frustrations of a committed partnership.
The narrative commences when Millie and Tim move from the urban environment to the country for Millie’s job. A familiar plot device, admittedly, but that’s primarily where the conventions cease. Together evolves into as much a psychological exploration of the partnership as it is a film about physical terror.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While trekking near their country house, a violent storm occurs, and the two discover an hole in the earth. After a night spent there and finally finding a way out, a supernatural entity begins influencing the couple. This force induces a supernatural closeness between them that goes exceeding emotional intimacy.
The entire film is a methodically building of scares, weaving in moments of fever-dream horrors, gross (but tastefully done) body horror, and genuinely funny exchanges (sometimes in the middle of something horrific). Shanks orchestrates these parts expertly and delivers them in a consistently growing sense of impending doom.
Layered Performances
A great deal of Together is solely the performances of its stars, and they skillfully illustrate numerous complexities to the characters’ relationship. Her self-assurance and emotional bond is waning due to a lack of intimacy. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his reluctance to focus on anything other than his floundering music career inexorably rises.
Tim, on the other hand feels trapped and cut off by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve left the city and distant from his support system. He dreads the idea of completely losing his sense of self in another person. This fear is further exacerbated by the circumstance he lacks a driver's license and needs Millie for getting around.
The director's cleverest decision in Together refrains from painting either of his characters the definite antagonist.
Tim and Millie grapple with the kind of problems that arise in any relationship after ten years. Fundamentally, they still love each other. They share moments of joy, provide solace, and are vulnerable at times. But under the surface, there’s an persistent current of uncertainty about their relationship.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the paranormal elements in Together act as a metaphor for these concerns of codependency and totally devoting oneself to another person, the symbolism avoids being hamfisted or pretentious. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments provide a ideal counterpart to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the supernatural and the personal enhance each other symbiotically.
A Debated Finale
Together’s final act, which is best experienced firsthand, has sparked debate on the movie's final takeaway about unhealthy partnerships. It has been said that those not in relationships have understood the narrative as a powerful case for staying single. On the other hand, certain partners who were in conflict found that the film actually helped them make up.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own reaction could act as a revealing measure of how you think about commitment. Will the ending inspire anxiety and horror, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you identify in Tim or Millie and scream at your TV, or simply turn to your significant other and state, “I understand that choice”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an exploration you can experience at this very moment.
Together is currently playing on the streaming service Hulu as of this moment.
