We present a dare for long-term couples who enjoy scary movies: Settle in with your partner and view Together. This 2025 indie hit has now made its online premiere on Hulu. At first glance, it may seem like standard biological terror, but within Together exists a deep examination about how we choose to love one another.
An Introductory Film Investigating Partnership Complexities
Together marks the first full-length movie for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It stars Dave Franco and Alison Brie as a couple named Tim and Millie, an unmarried couple that have been together for ten years. Having wed in real life in 2017, the two stars contribute a unique chemistry to their characters, masterfully depicting both the joys and frustrations of a long-term relationship.
The story starts when Tim and Millie move from the urban environment to the rural area for professional reasons. A somewhat stereotypical story element, admittedly, but that’s primarily where the conventions end. Together evolves into as much a examination of mental states of the pair’s relationship as it is a body horror flick.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While walking near their new home, a storm hits, and the protagonists tumble into an underground cave. After being trapped overnight there and eventually escaping, a mysterious influence begins influencing the pair. This force induces a otherworldly bond between them that goes far beyond emotional intimacy.
The complete narrative is a gradually intensifying of scares, interspersing elements of fever-dream horrors, unsettling (but tastefully done) biological grotesqueries, and genuinely funny dialogue (sometimes during something grotesque). The director orchestrates these parts expertly and wraps them up in a slowly mounting aura of dread.
Layered Performances
A large part of Together is solely the two lead actors, and they masterfully render countless layers to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Millie’s confidence and emotional bond is waning due to a distance. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his reluctance to pursue anything but his floundering music career inexorably rises.
Tim, on the other hand senses confinement and separated by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve relocated rural and distant from his network of friends. He fears the idea of completely losing his sense of self in another person. This fear is intensified by the circumstance he can’t drive and is dependent on Millie for mobility.
The film's most intelligent aspect in this movie refrains from painting Tim or Millie the clear bad guy.
Tim and Millie grapple with the type of challenges that are inherent in any relationship after ten years. Fundamentally, they have affection for each other. They share moments of joy, comfort one another, and open up at times. But below this facade, there’s an persistent feeling of questioning about their bond.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the paranormal elements in Together symbolize these concerns of unhealthy attachment and fully committing to a partner, the symbolism never feels overly obvious or pretentious. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments offer a brilliant analogue to the relationship narrative. Both the supernatural and the personal serve the other symbiotically.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s final act, which won’t be spoiled here, has sparked debate on the movie's final takeaway about unhealthy partnerships. Accounts suggest that unattached audience members have interpreted the film as a compelling reason for staying single. On the other hand, certain partners who were in conflict found that the film ended up guiding them to reconcile.
Whether you’re single or coupled up, your own interpretation could function as a great barometer of how you think about commitment. Will the conclusion inspire feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a positive outlook on love? Will you identify in one of the characters and feel frustration, or simply look at your other half and utter, “I understand that choice”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an experiment you can experience right now.
Together is streaming on Hulu as of this moment.
