We present a challenge for those in enduring partnerships who enjoy scary movies: Settle in with your partner and watch Together. The independent film success of 2025 has now made its launch on a streaming platform on Hulu. Outwardly, it may seem like conventional body horror, but within Together resides a profound examination about our choices in loving each other.
A Directorial Debut Investigating The Nuances of Love
Together represents the debut feature-length film for director Michael Shanks. It features Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Tim and Millie, an unmarried couple that have remained a couple for ten years. Married in actuality in 2017, the actors bring a particular energy to their roles, skillfully embodying both the good and bad of a committed partnership.
The story begins when Millie and Tim transition from the urban environment to the country for her career. A somewhat stereotypical plot device, sure, but that’s mostly where the conventions cease. Together becomes as much a deep dive into the psyche of the couple's dynamic as it is a movie featuring biological frights.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While walking near their rural residence, a storm hits, and the two discover an underground cave. After being trapped overnight there and managing to escape, a strange force takes hold of the pair. This force induces a supernatural closeness between them that goes far beyond simple connection.
The complete narrative is a gradually intensifying fright fest, interspersing bits of fever-dream horrors, disturbing (but not excessively graphic) biological grotesqueries, and authentically humorous dialogue (sometimes amidst something disturbing). The director skillfully blends these components expertly and wraps them up in a consistently growing aura of dread.
Layered Performances
A significant portion of Together is only the two lead actors, and they masterfully render manifold depths to the partnership at the film's core. Millie's sense of self and sense of connection is suffering due to a emotional and physical gap. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his unwillingness to pursue anything but his floundering music career inexorably rises.
Conversely, Tim experiences isolation and cut off by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve relocated rural and distant from his support system. He fears the concept of completely losing his sense of self in Millie. This fear is intensified by the reality he does not operate a vehicle and relies on Millie for mobility.
The film's most intelligent aspect in Together refrains from painting one partner or the other the clear bad guy.
Tim and Millie face the kind of problems that arise in most partnerships over a long period. Deep down, they continue to care for one another. They find humor with each other, provide solace, and open up at times. But under the surface, there’s an inescapable current of uncertainty about their future together.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the paranormal elements in Together represent these anxieties of codependency and totally devoting oneself to another person, the allegory does not come across as hamfisted or pretentious. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes provide a ideal counterpart to the relationship narrative. Both the frights and the fights serve the other symbiotically.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s conclusion, which won’t be spoiled here, has left audiences divided on the movie's final takeaway about codependent relationships. Reports indicate that unattached audience members have seen the movie as a powerful case for remaining unattached. Meanwhile, some couples who were in conflict found that the film ended up guiding them to make up.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own interpretation could act as a telling indicator of how you perceive partnership. Will the ending inspire anxiety and horror, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you recognize your own traits in either protagonist and feel frustration, or simply turn to your partner and say, “We could get through that together”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an experiment you can undertake right now.
Together is available to watch on the streaming service Hulu as of this moment.
