Here's a test for those in enduring partnerships who enjoy scary movies: Sit down with your loved one and stream Together. This 2025 indie hit just made its launch on a streaming platform on Hulu. At first glance, it could look like typical biological terror, but within Together exists a deep meditation about our choices in loving our partners.
A Directorial Debut Investigating The Nuances of Love
Together represents the introductory feature for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It stars the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Tim and Millie, an unmarried couple that have stayed together for a decade. Having wed in reality in 2017, Franco and Brie bring a unique chemistry to their portrayals, expertly portraying both the good and bad of a committed partnership.
The story starts when Millie and Tim transition from the metropolis to the countryside for her career. A familiar narrative setup, sure, but that’s mostly where the tropes conclude. Together evolves into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the pair’s relationship as it is a movie featuring biological frights.
A Paranormal Spark
While walking near their new home, a storm hits, and the two discover an subterranean cavern. After being trapped overnight there and eventually escaping, a strange force begins influencing the pair. This force compels a otherworldly bond between them that goes far beyond simple connection.
The complete narrative is a slow burn horror experience, weaving in bits of dreamlike terrors, unsettling (but tastefully done) physical transformations, and authentically humorous dialogue (sometimes during something horrific). The director orchestrates these parts neatly and presents them in a slowly mounting atmosphere of fear.
Layered Performances
A large part of Together is only the performances of its stars, and they skillfully illustrate manifold depths to the characters’ relationship. Millie's sense of self and emotional bond is waning due to a emotional and physical gap. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his reluctance to focus on anything other than his struggling artistic pursuits slowly bubbles to the surface.
Tim, on the other hand senses confinement and isolated by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve moved to the country and removed from his support system. He dreads the concept of totally forfeiting his personal autonomy in Millie. This fear is intensified by the fact he can’t drive and relies on Millie for mobility.
The director's cleverest decision in this movie avoids making one partner or the other the obvious villain.
Tim and Millie grapple with the type of challenges that arise in long-term unions after ten years. Deep down, they have affection for each other. They share moments of joy, comfort one another, and open up at times. But beneath it all, there’s an inescapable feeling of questioning about their relationship.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the otherworldly presence in Together symbolize these fears of codependency and totally devoting oneself to a partner, the symbolism does not come across as hamfisted or pretentious. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments offer a brilliant analogue to the character-driven drama. Both the horror and the drama work together in harmony.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s ending, which remains unspoiled, has left audiences divided on the story's concluding statement about enmeshed dynamics. It has been said that unattached audience members have understood the narrative as a strong argument for avoiding commitment. Conversely, certain partners experiencing tension found that the film ended up guiding them to make up.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own interpretation could act as a great barometer of how you view relationships. Will the ending inspire anxiety and horror, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you see yourself in either protagonist and feel frustration, or simply glance toward your significant other and utter, “I’d do that for you”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an test you can undertake at this very moment.
Together is currently playing on Hulu's platform at present.
