We present a dare for those in enduring partnerships who appreciate scary movies: Get comfortable with your loved one and view Together. This 2025 indie hit has now made its launch on a streaming platform on the Hulu service. On the surface, it could look like standard biological terror, but beneath Together resides a deep meditation about the ways we decide to love our partners.
A Debut Feature Investigating Relationship Dynamics
Together is the first full-length movie for director Michael Shanks. It showcases the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Millie and Tim, a pair who are not married that have stayed together for ten years. United in marriage in real life in 2017, Franco and Brie bring a unique chemistry to their roles, masterfully depicting both the good and bad of a committed partnership.
The story starts when Tim and Millie move from the metropolis to the countryside for her career. A somewhat stereotypical narrative setup, admittedly, but that’s primarily where the conventions conclude. Together transforms into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the pair’s relationship as it is a film about physical terror.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While walking near their new home, a violent storm occurs, and the two tumble into an underground cave. After being trapped overnight there and managing to escape, a mysterious influence starts to affect the couple. This force creates a supernatural closeness between them that goes well past emotional intimacy.
The entire film is a gradually intensifying fright fest, blending elements of dreamlike terrors, gross (but tastefully done) body horror, and genuinely funny dialogue (sometimes during something horrific). Shanks orchestrates these parts expertly and wraps them up in a gradually swelling sense of impending doom.
Nuanced Portrayals
A significant portion of Together is solely the performances of its stars, and they deftly portray countless layers to the characters’ relationship. Her self-assurance and sense of connection is deteriorating due to a emotional and physical gap. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his unwillingness to focus on anything other than his struggling artistic pursuits gradually emerges.
Tim, on the other hand feels trapped and isolated by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve relocated rural and far away from his network of friends. He fears the concept of completely losing his personal autonomy in another person. This fear is intensified by the circumstance he does not operate a vehicle and needs Millie for transportation.
The director's cleverest decision in this movie refrains from painting one partner or the other the clear bad guy.
The couple grapple with the type of challenges that are inherent in long-term unions after ten years. Fundamentally, they have affection for one another. They still laugh together, provide solace, and are vulnerable at times. But beneath it all, there’s an unavoidable feeling of questioning about their future together.
Thematic Depth
While the otherworldly presence in Together symbolize these fears of codependency and totally devoting oneself to a partner, the symbolism never feels clumsy or pretentious. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments offer a perfect parallel to the relationship narrative. Both the horror and the drama enhance each other symbiotically.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s ending, which is best experienced firsthand, has left audiences divided on the story's concluding statement about codependent relationships. Reports indicate that single viewers have interpreted the film as a powerful case for staying single. Meanwhile, a few pairs experiencing tension found that the film ultimately assisted them resolve their issues.
Whether you’re single or coupled up, your own reaction could potentially serve as a revealing measure of how you think about commitment. Will the ending sow feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you see yourself in one of the characters and feel frustration, or simply turn to your partner and utter, “We could get through that together”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an test you can embark on right now.
Together is available to watch on Hulu's platform at present.
