We present a challenge for partners in committed relationships who are fans of scary movies: Settle in with your loved one and view Together. This critically acclaimed 2025 movie recently had its online premiere on Hulu. At first glance, it may seem like standard biological terror, but within Together resides a profound examination about how we choose to love each other.
A Debut Feature Investigating Partnership Complexities
Together is the first full-length movie for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It features the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Tim and Millie, an unmarried couple that have remained a couple for over ten years. Having wed in reality in 2017, the actors contribute a special spark to their roles, skillfully embodying both the strengths and weaknesses of a committed partnership.
The story begins when Millie and Tim relocate from the metropolis to the country for professional reasons. A somewhat stereotypical plot device, admittedly, but that’s largely where the tropes cease. Together transforms into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the partnership as it is a film about physical terror.
A Paranormal Spark
While walking near their country house, a storm hits, and the protagonists tumble into an subterranean cavern. After a night spent there and managing to escape, a mysterious influence takes hold of the pair. This force induces a paranormal intimacy between them that goes far beyond typical partnership.
The complete narrative is a gradually intensifying horror experience, weaving in bits of dreamlike terrors, gross (but never too gross) physical transformations, and genuinely funny interactions (sometimes in the middle of something disturbing). The director weaves these elements together seamlessly and delivers them in a gradually swelling sense of impending doom.
Complex Characterizations
A significant portion of Together is solely the two lead actors, and they skillfully illustrate manifold depths to the characters’ relationship. Millie’s confidence and feeling of intimacy is deteriorating due to a lack of intimacy. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his hesitance to focus on anything other than his floundering music career inexorably rises.
In contrast, Tim's character feels trapped and cut off by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve moved to the country and far away from his network of friends. He is terrified of the idea of totally forfeiting his personal autonomy in his partner. This fear is further exacerbated by the reality he does not operate a vehicle and relies on Millie for getting around.
The director's cleverest decision in this movie refrains from painting either of his characters the clear bad guy.
Both characters confront the sort of issues that arise in any relationship after ten years. Fundamentally, they continue to care for each other. They find humor with each other, provide solace, and are vulnerable at times. But beneath it all, there’s an inescapable feeling of questioning about their relationship.
Thematic Depth
While the supernatural forces in Together represent these concerns of codependency and totally devoting oneself to a partner, the allegory never feels hamfisted or self-important. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments provide a brilliant analogue to the relationship narrative. Both the supernatural and the personal serve the other in a mutually beneficial way.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s conclusion, which remains unspoiled, has sparked debate on the story's concluding statement about codependent relationships. It has been said that single viewers have seen the movie as a compelling reason for avoiding commitment. On the other hand, a few pairs experiencing tension found that the film ultimately assisted them make up.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own response could potentially serve as a revealing measure of how you think about commitment. Will the conclusion plant feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a positive outlook on love? Will you identify in either protagonist and scream at your TV, or simply look at your other half and say, “We could get through that together”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an exploration you can undertake right now.
Together is currently playing on the streaming service Hulu at present.
