We present a challenge for partners in committed relationships who appreciate scary movies: Get comfortable with your loved one and watch Together. This independent film success of 2025 recently had its streaming debut on the Hulu service. At first glance, it might appear like typical body horror, but inside Together lies a profound meditation about the ways we decide to love our partners.
A Debut Feature Delving into The Nuances of Love
Together marks the first full-length movie for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It showcases the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Tim and Millie, an unmarried couple that have remained a couple for a decade. United in marriage in real life in 2017, the actors contribute a unique chemistry to their characters, expertly portraying both the joys and frustrations of a enduring union.
The narrative commences when the couple move from the metropolis to the country for professional reasons. A familiar plot device, sure, but that’s mostly where the cliches end. Together becomes as much a psychological exploration of the couple's dynamic as it is a film about physical terror.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While trekking near their rural residence, a tempest descends, and Millie and Tim fall into an underground cave. After spending the night there and eventually escaping, a strange force begins influencing the duo. This force induces a supernatural closeness between them that goes well past simple connection.
The whole movie is a gradually intensifying fright fest, blending moments of dreamlike terrors, disturbing (but tastefully done) biological grotesqueries, and authentically humorous dialogue (sometimes in the middle of something grotesque). Michael Shanks weaves these elements together seamlessly and presents them in a gradually swelling sense of impending doom.
Nuanced Portrayals
A large part of Together is only Brie and Franco, and they masterfully render numerous complexities to the partnership at the film's core. Millie’s confidence and emotional bond is deteriorating due to a distance. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his unwillingness to chase only his floundering music career slowly bubbles to the surface.
In contrast, Tim's character senses confinement and isolated by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve relocated rural and removed from his support system. He dreads the concept of utterly sacrificing his individual identity in his partner. This fear is intensified by the fact he does not operate a vehicle and relies on Millie for getting around.
The director's cleverest decision is that he never makes Tim or Millie the clear bad guy.
Both characters confront the kind of problems that are inherent in any relationship after ten years. At their core, they have affection for each other. They share moments of joy, provide solace, and open up at times. But beneath it all, there’s an unavoidable current of uncertainty about their bond.
Allegory and Meaning
While the paranormal elements in Together symbolize these concerns of unhealthy attachment and fully committing to another person, the metaphor never feels overly obvious or heavy-handed. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments present a brilliant analogue to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the supernatural and the personal work together in a mutually beneficial way.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s conclusion, which remains unspoiled, has created disagreement on the movie's final takeaway about unhealthy partnerships. Reports indicate that those not in relationships have understood the narrative as a compelling reason for avoiding commitment. Meanwhile, a few pairs who were in conflict found that the film ended up guiding them to resolve their issues.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own response could act as a great barometer of how you think about commitment. Will the conclusion plant anxiety and horror, or a positive outlook on love? Will you see yourself in either protagonist and yell at the screen, or simply look at your other half and state, “I’d do that for you”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an experiment you can experience at this very moment.
Together is currently playing on Hulu now.
