Consider this a challenge for long-term couples who appreciate scary movies: Get comfortable with your significant other and stream Together. This critically acclaimed 2025 movie has now made its online premiere on the Hulu service. At first glance, it might appear like typical physical horror, but inside Together exists a deep contemplation about our choices in loving our partners.
A Directorial Debut Delving into Relationship Dynamics
Together marks the debut feature-length film for director Michael Shanks. It showcases Dave Franco and Alison Brie as a couple named Tim and Millie, partners that have remained a couple for over ten years. Married in real life in 2017, Franco and Brie infuse a unique chemistry to their characters, skillfully embodying both the joys and frustrations of a enduring union.
The plot commences when Millie and Tim relocate from the urban environment to the countryside for Millie’s job. A commonly used plot device, sure, but that’s largely where the conventions 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 Supernatural Catalyst
While walking near their rural residence, a storm hits, and Millie and Tim discover an underground cave. After being trapped overnight there and eventually escaping, a mysterious influence takes hold of the couple. This force creates a supernatural closeness between them that goes well past typical partnership.
The whole movie is a methodically building horror experience, weaving in moments of dreamlike terrors, unsettling (but tastefully done) body horror, and authentically humorous exchanges (sometimes amidst something disturbing). Michael Shanks orchestrates these parts expertly and wraps them up in a gradually swelling atmosphere of fear.
Layered Performances
A great deal of Together is solely Brie and Franco, and they skillfully illustrate numerous complexities to the characters’ relationship. Her self-assurance and feeling of intimacy is deteriorating due to a lack of intimacy. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his reluctance to pursue anything but his failing musical ambitions slowly bubbles to the surface.
Conversely, Tim senses confinement and cut off by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve moved to the country and removed from his network of friends. He dreads the idea of totally forfeiting his individual identity in his partner. This fear is amplified by the reality he lacks a driver's license and needs Millie for transportation.
The director's cleverest decision in this movie refrains from painting Tim or Millie the obvious villain.
The couple grapple with the type of challenges that come with any relationship after ten years. Fundamentally, they continue to care for each other. They share moments of joy, offer support, and are vulnerable at times. But beneath it all, there’s an inescapable feeling of questioning about their future together.
Allegory and Meaning
While the supernatural forces in Together act as a metaphor for these fears of codependency and giving oneself over to a partner, the metaphor avoids being clumsy or self-important. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments offer a perfect parallel to the character-driven drama. Both the horror and the drama enhance each other in a mutually beneficial way.
A Debated Finale
Together’s final act, which is best experienced firsthand, has left audiences divided on the story's concluding statement about codependent relationships. Reports indicate that unattached audience members have seen the movie as a powerful case for avoiding commitment. Meanwhile, certain partners who were in conflict found that the film ultimately assisted them make up.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own reaction could potentially serve as a great barometer of how you perceive partnership. Will the finale sow feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a positive outlook on love? Will you see yourself in Tim or Millie and feel frustration, or simply look at your significant other and say, “I understand that choice”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an exploration you can undertake right now.
Together is available to watch on the streaming service Hulu now.
