Here's a test for long-term couples who are fans of scary movies: Settle in with your significant other and watch Together. The independent film success of 2025 just made its launch on a streaming platform on the Hulu service. At first glance, it might appear like standard body horror, but beneath Together resides a intense contemplation about the ways we decide to love each other.
An Introductory Film Investigating The Nuances of Love
Together marks the first full-length movie for director Michael Shanks. It features Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Tim and Millie, a pair who are not married that have stayed together for a decade. United in marriage in real life in 2017, the actors bring a particular energy to their portrayals, expertly portraying both the joys and frustrations of a committed partnership.
The narrative commences when Tim and Millie transition from the urban environment to the countryside for professional reasons. A commonly used story element, admittedly, but that’s mostly where the tropes cease. Together transforms into as much a psychological exploration of the couple's dynamic as it is a film about physical terror.
A Paranormal Spark
While trekking near their new home, a violent storm occurs, and the protagonists discover an hole in the earth. After being trapped overnight there and eventually escaping, a mysterious influence begins influencing the couple. This force compels a supernatural closeness between them that goes exceeding typical partnership.
The entire film is a methodically building of scares, blending elements of hallucinatory nightmares, disturbing (but never too gross) physical transformations, and genuinely funny dialogue (sometimes during something horrific). Shanks orchestrates these parts expertly and presents them in a gradually swelling atmosphere of fear.
Nuanced Portrayals
A large part of Together is exclusively Brie and Franco, and they deftly portray countless layers to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Millie's sense of self and feeling of intimacy is waning due to a lack of intimacy. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his unwillingness to chase only his struggling artistic pursuits slowly bubbles to the surface.
Conversely, Tim senses confinement and cut off by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve moved to the country and removed from his social circle. He fears the idea of completely losing his sense of self in his partner. This fear is further exacerbated by the circumstance he does not operate a vehicle and relies on Millie for mobility.
Shanks’ smartest move is that he never makes Tim or Millie the definite antagonist.
Tim and Millie confront the type of challenges that come with any relationship a decade in. Deep down, they continue to care for one another. They find humor with each other, comfort one another, and are vulnerable at times. But beneath it all, there’s an unavoidable undercurrent of doubt about their future together.
Thematic Depth
While the otherworldly presence in Together act as a metaphor for these fears of unhealthy attachment and totally devoting oneself to a partner, the metaphor avoids being overly obvious or pretentious. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments offer a brilliant analogue to the relationship narrative. Both the supernatural and the personal enhance each other symbiotically.
A Debated Finale
Together’s conclusion, which remains unspoiled, has left audiences divided on the story's concluding statement about codependent relationships. It has been said that unattached audience members have interpreted the film as a compelling reason for staying single. Conversely, some couples experiencing tension found that the film ultimately assisted them resolve their issues.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own reaction could function as a great barometer of how you think about commitment. Will the ending inspire feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you recognize your own traits in either protagonist and yell at the screen, or simply glance toward your other half and utter, “We could get through that together”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an experiment you can embark on right now.
Together is currently playing on the streaming service Hulu at present.
