Here's a challenge for long-term couples who are fans of scary movies: Settle in with your loved one and view Together. The independent film success of 2025 recently had its streaming debut on the Hulu service. On the surface, it may seem like standard biological terror, but beneath Together resides a deep meditation about the ways we decide to love one another.
A Directorial Debut Exploring Relationship Dynamics
Together represents the debut feature-length film for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It showcases actors Alison Brie and Dave Franco as Tim and Millie, an unmarried couple that have been together for ten years. United in marriage in actuality in 2017, the actors contribute a special spark to their roles, expertly portraying both the good and bad of a enduring union.
The plot starts when the couple transition from the urban environment to the rural area for professional reasons. A commonly used narrative setup, admittedly, but that’s primarily where the conventions conclude. Together becomes as much a examination of mental states of the partnership as it is a body horror flick.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While walking near their rural residence, a tempest descends, and Millie and Tim fall into an underground cave. After being trapped overnight there and eventually escaping, a supernatural entity starts to affect the couple. This force compels a paranormal intimacy between them that goes well past simple connection.
The complete narrative is a methodically building of scares, blending bits of hallucinatory nightmares, unsettling (but not excessively graphic) biological grotesqueries, and authentically humorous interactions (sometimes amidst something grotesque). The director skillfully blends these components neatly and wraps them up in a slowly mounting sense of impending doom.
Complex Characterizations
A significant portion of Together is exclusively Brie and Franco, and they skillfully illustrate numerous complexities to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Millie’s confidence and feeling of intimacy is waning due to a emotional and physical gap. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his reluctance to focus on anything other than his failing musical ambitions inexorably rises.
Conversely, Tim feels trapped and isolated by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve left the city and distant from his social circle. He is terrified of the notion of completely losing his individual identity in Millie. This fear is further exacerbated by the circumstance he lacks a driver's license and needs Millie for getting around.
Shanks’ smartest move in Together never makes Tim or Millie the definite antagonist.
Tim and Millie grapple with the kind of problems that come with most partnerships after ten years. Fundamentally, they continue to care for one another. They share moments of joy, offer support, and share intimately at times. But below this facade, there’s an inescapable undercurrent of doubt about their future together.
Thematic Depth
While the supernatural forces in Together represent these fears of excessive reliance and fully committing to a partner, the symbolism never feels hamfisted or pretentious. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments present a ideal counterpart to the character-driven drama. Both the supernatural and the personal work together symbiotically.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s ending, which remains unspoiled, has created disagreement on the story's concluding statement about unhealthy partnerships. Reports indicate that single viewers have interpreted the film as a strong argument for avoiding commitment. Conversely, certain partners experiencing tension found that the film ended up guiding them to reconcile.
Whether you’re single or coupled up, your own response could act as a great barometer of how you perceive partnership. Will the finale plant a sense of discomfort and fear, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you see yourself in one of the characters and feel frustration, or simply look at your other half and say, “I understand that choice”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an exploration you can experience right now.
Together is streaming on Hulu at present.
