We present a test for partners in committed relationships who appreciate scary movies: Get comfortable with your loved one and view Together. This critically acclaimed 2025 movie recently had its streaming debut on the Hulu service. On the surface, it may seem like standard biological terror, but beneath Together exists a intense meditation about the ways we decide to love our partners.
An Introductory Film Investigating The Nuances of Love
Together marks the debut feature-length film for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It stars Dave Franco and Alison Brie as a couple named Tim and Millie, a pair who are not married that have remained a couple for ten years. United in marriage in actuality in 2017, Franco and Brie bring a particular energy to their portrayals, skillfully embodying both the good and bad of a long-term relationship.
The narrative starts when Millie and Tim transition from the urban environment to the rural area for her career. A familiar plot device, sure, but that’s primarily where the tropes end. Together transforms into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the partnership as it is a body horror flick.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While walking near their new home, a violent storm occurs, and the protagonists tumble into an underground cave. After being trapped overnight there and finally finding a way out, a strange force begins influencing the duo. This force induces a paranormal intimacy between them that goes exceeding typical partnership.
The entire film is a methodically building of scares, weaving in elements of hallucinatory nightmares, disturbing (but never too gross) physical transformations, and genuinely funny dialogue (sometimes in the middle of something horrific). The director skillfully blends these components seamlessly and delivers them in a gradually swelling sense of impending doom.
Complex Characterizations
A large part of Together is exclusively Brie and Franco, and they skillfully illustrate countless layers to the partnership at the film's core. Millie's sense of self and sense of connection is suffering due to a lack of intimacy. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his reluctance to chase only his struggling artistic pursuits inexorably rises.
Conversely, Tim senses confinement and isolated by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve relocated rural and distant from his social circle. He fears the idea of totally forfeiting his personal autonomy in another person. This fear is further exacerbated by the reality he does not operate a vehicle and is dependent on Millie for getting around.
Shanks’ smartest move in Together refrains from painting Tim or Millie the obvious villain.
Tim and Millie face the sort of issues that arise in long-term unions over a long period. Deep down, they continue to care for each other. They still laugh together, provide solace, and open up at times. But beneath it all, there’s an unavoidable undercurrent of doubt about their bond.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the supernatural forces in Together represent these fears of unhealthy attachment and fully committing to a partner, the metaphor never feels overly obvious or pretentious. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes provide a ideal counterpart to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the frights and the fights work together in harmony.
A Debated Finale
Together’s conclusion, which remains unspoiled, has created disagreement on the movie's final takeaway about codependent relationships. Accounts suggest that those not in relationships have seen the movie as a powerful case for staying single. Meanwhile, certain partners having disagreements found that the film ended up guiding them to reconcile.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own reaction could potentially serve as a great barometer of how you perceive partnership. Will the ending sow feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you see yourself in either protagonist and yell at the screen, or simply glance toward your significant other and utter, “I understand that choice”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an experiment you can undertake at this very moment.
Together is currently playing on the streaming service Hulu now.
