Consider this a challenge for partners in committed relationships who enjoy scary movies: Sit down with your partner and watch Together. The 2025 indie hit has now made its online premiere via Hulu. On the surface, it might appear like conventional biological terror, but beneath Together resides a intense meditation about our choices in loving each other.
An Introductory Film Exploring The Nuances of Love
Together represents the first full-length movie for director Michael Shanks. It showcases the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as a couple named Tim and Millie, an unmarried couple that have stayed together for over ten years. Married in real life in 2017, the actors contribute a special spark to their roles, masterfully depicting both the strengths and weaknesses of a committed partnership.
The plot commences when the couple move from the metropolis to the rural area for professional reasons. A somewhat stereotypical story element, sure, but that’s largely where the cliches cease. Together becomes as much a deep dive into the psyche of the couple's dynamic as it is a movie featuring biological frights.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While hiking near their rural residence, a storm hits, and Millie and Tim tumble into an underground cave. After a night spent there and eventually escaping, a mysterious influence starts to affect the couple. This force compels a supernatural closeness between them that goes well past simple connection.
The complete narrative is a gradually intensifying fright fest, weaving in bits of dreamlike terrors, unsettling (but not excessively graphic) body horror, and genuinely funny dialogue (sometimes amidst something grotesque). Shanks orchestrates these parts seamlessly and presents them in a consistently growing aura of dread.
Layered Performances
A significant portion of Together is solely the two lead actors, and they masterfully render manifold depths to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Millie's sense of self and sense of connection is deteriorating due to a emotional and physical gap. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his unwillingness to chase only his failing musical ambitions gradually emerges.
In contrast, Tim's character feels trapped and cut off by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve moved to the country and far away from his social circle. He is terrified of the notion of completely losing his individual identity in Millie. This fear is further exacerbated by the reality he can’t drive and is dependent on Millie for mobility.
Shanks’ smartest move in this movie avoids making either of his characters the obvious villain.
Both characters face the kind of problems that arise in most partnerships a decade in. Deep down, they continue to care for one another. They share moments of joy, offer support, and are vulnerable at times. But under the surface, there’s an persistent undercurrent of doubt about their relationship.
Allegory and Meaning
While the otherworldly presence in Together symbolize these concerns of unhealthy attachment and giving oneself over to a partner, the metaphor does not come across as overly obvious or heavy-handed. Instead, these visceral horror elements present a brilliant analogue to the relationship narrative. Both the horror and the drama serve the other symbiotically.
A Debated Finale
Together’s final act, which is best experienced firsthand, has left audiences divided on the story's concluding statement about unhealthy partnerships. Reports indicate that unattached audience members have understood the narrative as a strong argument for staying single. Meanwhile, a few pairs experiencing tension found that the film ended up guiding them to make up.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own interpretation could act as a telling indicator of how you view relationships. Will the conclusion sow feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a positive outlook on love? Will you see yourself in either protagonist and scream at your TV, or simply glance toward your significant other and utter, “I understand that choice”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an exploration you can undertake today.
Together is available to watch on Hulu's platform at present.
