Consider this a test for long-term couples who enjoy scary movies: Sit down with your partner and view Together. This 2025 indie hit has now made its streaming debut on Hulu. Outwardly, it could look like standard physical horror, but beneath Together lies a intense meditation about our choices in loving each other.
A Directorial Debut Investigating The Nuances of Love
Together represents the first full-length movie for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It features actors Alison Brie and Dave Franco as a couple named Tim and Millie, partners that have been together for over ten years. United in marriage in actuality in 2017, Franco and Brie bring a unique chemistry to their portrayals, masterfully depicting both the strengths and weaknesses of a long-term relationship.
The narrative commences when the couple move from the metropolis to the countryside for professional reasons. A commonly used story element, admittedly, but that’s mostly where the tropes end. Together evolves into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the partnership 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 being trapped overnight there and finally finding a way out, a supernatural entity starts to affect the duo. This force induces a paranormal intimacy between them that goes well past typical partnership.
The whole movie is a methodically building fright fest, weaving in elements of hallucinatory nightmares, disturbing (but not excessively graphic) biological grotesqueries, and surprisingly comedic interactions (sometimes during something grotesque). The director weaves these elements together expertly and presents them in a slowly mounting sense of impending doom.
Layered Performances
A great deal of Together is only the performances of its stars, and they deftly portray manifold depths to the characters’ relationship. Her self-assurance and emotional bond is waning due to a lack of intimacy. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his unwillingness to pursue anything but his failing musical ambitions inexorably rises.
Conversely, Tim feels trapped and cut off by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve left the city and far away from his social circle. He fears the notion of completely losing his individual identity in another person. This fear is intensified by the circumstance he does not operate a vehicle and is dependent on Millie for mobility.
Shanks’ smartest move in this movie never makes Tim or Millie the definite antagonist.
Tim and Millie confront the sort of issues that come with long-term unions a decade in. At their core, they still love one another. They share moments of joy, offer support, and open up at times. But under the surface, there’s an inescapable feeling of questioning about their bond.
Allegory and Meaning
While the supernatural forces in Together represent these fears of excessive reliance and fully committing to another person, the symbolism never feels hamfisted or self-important. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments offer a perfect parallel to the relationship narrative. Both the horror and the drama work together in harmony.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s ending, which won’t be spoiled here, has left audiences divided on the movie's final takeaway about codependent relationships. Accounts suggest that unattached audience members have understood the narrative as a powerful case for remaining unattached. Conversely, certain partners who were in conflict found that the film actually helped them make up.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own response could act as a telling indicator of how you perceive partnership. Will the finale plant feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a positive outlook on love? Will you see yourself in Tim or Millie and scream at your TV, or simply turn to your significant other and say, “I understand that choice”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an experiment you can embark on right now.
Together is streaming on Hulu's platform as of this moment.
