Consider this a dare for those in enduring partnerships who are fans of scary movies: Get comfortable with your significant other and watch Together. This independent film success of 2025 has now made its streaming debut on Hulu. On the surface, it may seem like typical biological terror, but inside Together lies a profound contemplation about how we choose to love each other.
An Introductory Film Delving into Partnership Complexities
Together is the first full-length movie for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It showcases actors Alison Brie and Dave Franco as Millie and Tim, partners that have been together for a decade. Married in reality in 2017, the two stars contribute a unique chemistry to their characters, expertly portraying both the good and bad of a enduring union.
The narrative starts when the couple relocate from the urban environment to the countryside for her career. A familiar plot device, sure, but that’s primarily where the tropes conclude. Together becomes as much a deep dive into the psyche of the couple's dynamic as it is a film about physical terror.
A Paranormal Spark
While hiking near their rural residence, a storm hits, and the protagonists tumble into an hole in the earth. After being trapped overnight there and managing to escape, a supernatural entity starts to affect the couple. This force induces a supernatural closeness between them that goes exceeding typical partnership.
The entire film is a methodically building horror experience, blending moments of hallucinatory nightmares, unsettling (but never too gross) body horror, and genuinely funny dialogue (sometimes in the middle of something grotesque). Michael Shanks orchestrates these parts seamlessly and delivers them in a gradually swelling aura of dread.
Complex Characterizations
A large part of Together is solely Brie and Franco, and they skillfully illustrate numerous complexities to the partnership at the film's core. Millie’s confidence and sense of connection is suffering due to a distance. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his reluctance to chase only his failing musical ambitions gradually emerges.
Tim, on the other hand senses confinement and isolated by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve moved to the country and removed from his network of friends. He fears the notion of utterly sacrificing his individual identity in his partner. This fear is intensified by the fact he does not operate a vehicle and is dependent on Millie for transportation.
The director's cleverest decision in this movie avoids making either of his characters the obvious villain.
Both characters confront the type of challenges that come with long-term unions after ten years. Fundamentally, they have affection for each other. They share moments of joy, provide solace, and are vulnerable at times. But under the surface, there’s an inescapable feeling of questioning about their future together.
Thematic Depth
While the otherworldly presence in Together symbolize these fears of excessive reliance and fully committing to another person, the symbolism never feels hamfisted or self-important. Instead, these visceral horror elements present a ideal counterpart to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the supernatural and the personal work together in a mutually beneficial way.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s final act, which is best experienced firsthand, has created disagreement on the story's concluding statement about unhealthy partnerships. Reports indicate that those not in relationships have understood the narrative as a powerful case for avoiding commitment. Meanwhile, some couples having disagreements found that the film ultimately assisted them reconcile.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own reaction could act as a telling indicator of how you perceive partnership. Will the conclusion plant feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you identify in Tim or Millie and yell at the screen, or simply glance toward your partner and say, “We could get through that together”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an test you can undertake at this very moment.
Together is currently playing on the streaming service Hulu now.
