Consider this a challenge for partners in committed relationships who enjoy scary movies: Get comfortable with your partner and stream Together. This 2025 indie hit recently had its launch on a streaming platform via Hulu. On the surface, it might appear like standard physical horror, but beneath Together lies a intense contemplation about the ways we decide to love our partners.
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 Tim and Millie, an unmarried couple that have stayed together for ten years. Married in actuality in 2017, the two stars contribute a unique chemistry to their portrayals, skillfully embodying both the strengths and weaknesses of a enduring union.
The narrative starts when Tim and Millie move from the urban environment to the countryside for her career. A familiar plot device, of course, but that’s mostly where the conventions conclude. Together becomes as much a psychological exploration of the pair’s relationship as it is a film about physical terror.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While trekking near their rural residence, a tempest descends, and Millie and Tim fall into an hole in the earth. After being trapped overnight there and managing to escape, a supernatural entity takes hold of the duo. This force compels a supernatural closeness between them that goes far beyond emotional intimacy.
The entire film is a gradually intensifying fright fest, interspersing elements of fever-dream horrors, disturbing (but tastefully done) biological grotesqueries, and authentically humorous dialogue (sometimes in the middle of something grotesque). Michael Shanks skillfully blends these components neatly and wraps them up in a gradually swelling aura of dread.
Layered Performances
A significant portion of Together is solely Brie and Franco, and they masterfully render countless layers to the characters’ relationship. Millie's sense of self and emotional bond is suffering due to a distance. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his reluctance to chase only his struggling artistic pursuits slowly bubbles to the surface.
Conversely, Tim experiences isolation and isolated by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve moved to the country and distant from his social circle. He fears the idea of utterly sacrificing his individual identity in another person. This fear is further exacerbated by the circumstance he does not operate a vehicle and is dependent on Millie for transportation.
The director's cleverest decision in this movie avoids making one partner or the other the definite antagonist.
Tim and Millie grapple with the kind of problems that are inherent in any relationship a decade in. At their core, they continue to care for one another. They share moments of joy, offer support, and share intimately at times. But beneath it all, there’s an unavoidable feeling of questioning about their future together.
Allegory and Meaning
While the otherworldly presence in Together represent these concerns of excessive reliance and fully committing to another person, the allegory avoids being overly obvious or self-important. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments provide a perfect parallel to the relationship narrative. Both the frights and the fights work together in harmony.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s final act, which is best experienced firsthand, has left audiences divided on the story's concluding statement about codependent relationships. Reports indicate that those not in relationships have interpreted the film as a powerful case for staying single. Meanwhile, certain partners experiencing tension found that the film actually helped them reconcile.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own reaction could potentially serve as a telling indicator of how you view relationships. Will the finale plant feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a positive outlook on love? Will you see yourself in Tim or Millie and feel frustration, or simply glance toward your partner and state, “I understand that choice”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an experiment you can embark on right now.
Together is available to watch on the streaming service Hulu at present.
