Consider this a challenge for long-term couples who are fans of scary movies: Sit down with your significant other and view Together. The 2025 indie hit just made its streaming debut via Hulu. At first glance, it might appear like conventional body horror, but within Together lies a intense meditation about our choices in loving one another.
A Directorial Debut Exploring Partnership Complexities
Together represents the first full-length movie for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It features Dave Franco and Alison Brie as a couple named Tim and Millie, an unmarried couple that have remained a couple for ten years. Married in real life in 2017, the actors contribute a unique chemistry to their characters, masterfully depicting both the strengths and weaknesses of a committed partnership.
The narrative begins when the couple relocate from the urban environment to the countryside for professional reasons. A familiar story element, admittedly, but that’s mostly where the tropes end. Together transforms into as much a examination of mental states of the partnership as it is a film about physical terror.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While hiking near their rural residence, a violent storm occurs, and the two discover an hole in the earth. After a night spent there and eventually escaping, a strange force starts to affect the pair. This force creates a otherworldly bond between them that goes far beyond emotional intimacy.
The complete narrative is a methodically building horror experience, weaving in moments of dreamlike terrors, unsettling (but tastefully done) body horror, and authentically humorous dialogue (sometimes amidst something horrific). Michael Shanks orchestrates these parts expertly and presents them in a consistently growing sense of impending doom.
Nuanced Portrayals
A significant portion of Together is solely Brie and Franco, and they masterfully render countless layers to the partnership at the film's core. Her self-assurance and feeling of intimacy is waning due to a distance. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his hesitance to focus on anything other than his floundering music career slowly bubbles to the surface.
In contrast, Tim's character experiences isolation and isolated by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve moved to the country and far away from his network of friends. He fears the concept of totally forfeiting his sense of self in his partner. This fear is amplified by the fact he lacks a driver's license and is dependent on Millie for mobility.
The director's cleverest decision is that he avoids making Tim or Millie the definite antagonist.
Tim and Millie grapple with the kind of problems that arise in long-term unions after ten years. At their core, they have affection for each other. They find humor with each other, comfort one another, and share intimately at times. But beneath it all, there’s an inescapable current of uncertainty about their future together.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the paranormal elements in Together symbolize these fears of excessive reliance and fully committing to a partner, the symbolism does not come across as hamfisted or heavy-handed. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments present a brilliant analogue to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the supernatural and the personal enhance each other in harmony.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s ending, which remains unspoiled, has created disagreement on the movie's final takeaway about codependent relationships. Accounts suggest that unattached audience members have seen the movie as a compelling reason for avoiding commitment. Meanwhile, some couples experiencing tension found that the film ultimately assisted them reconcile.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own response could act as a great barometer of how you think about commitment. Will the finale sow anxiety and horror, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you see yourself in Tim or Millie and yell at the screen, or simply glance toward your other half and utter, “I’d do that for you”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an test you can experience today.
Together is streaming on Hulu's platform now.
