Consider this a dare for partners in committed relationships who appreciate scary movies: Get comfortable with your significant other and stream Together. The critically acclaimed 2025 movie just made its launch on a streaming platform on the Hulu service. On the surface, it might appear like conventional body horror, but within Together resides a intense contemplation about how we choose to love our partners.
A Debut Feature Delving into Partnership Complexities
Together is the debut feature-length film for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It stars the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Millie and Tim, an unmarried couple that have been together for over ten years. United in marriage in real life in 2017, Franco and Brie infuse a unique chemistry to their portrayals, masterfully depicting both the good and bad of a enduring union.
The narrative begins when Tim and Millie transition from the urban environment to the countryside for her career. A familiar narrative setup, sure, but that’s mostly where the cliches end. Together transforms into as much a psychological exploration of the pair’s relationship as it is a movie featuring biological frights.
A Paranormal Spark
While hiking near their new home, a tempest descends, and Millie and Tim tumble into an hole in the earth. After being trapped overnight there and eventually escaping, a supernatural entity begins influencing the couple. This force induces a otherworldly bond between them that goes exceeding typical partnership.
The entire film is a gradually intensifying fright fest, weaving in moments of dreamlike terrors, unsettling (but never too gross) body horror, and authentically humorous interactions (sometimes in the middle of something disturbing). Shanks orchestrates these parts expertly and presents them in a gradually swelling sense of impending doom.
Layered Performances
A significant portion of Together is exclusively Brie and Franco, and they deftly portray manifold depths to the partnership at the film's core. Millie’s confidence and emotional bond is suffering due to a lack of intimacy. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his reluctance to pursue anything but his failing musical ambitions slowly bubbles to the surface.
In contrast, Tim's character feels trapped and cut off by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve relocated rural and far away from his support system. He dreads the notion of totally forfeiting his sense of self in Millie. This fear is further exacerbated by the circumstance he does not operate a vehicle and relies on Millie for mobility.
Shanks’ smartest move in this movie refrains from painting one partner or the other the definite antagonist.
The couple confront the sort of issues that are inherent in long-term unions a decade in. At their core, they continue to care for one another. They still laugh together, provide solace, and open up at times. But under the surface, there’s an unavoidable undercurrent of doubt about their relationship.
Allegory and Meaning
While the paranormal elements in Together act as a metaphor for these concerns of codependency and fully committing to another person, the allegory avoids being overly obvious or heavy-handed. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments present a brilliant analogue to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the frights and the fights work together in a mutually beneficial way.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s final act, which remains unspoiled, has left audiences divided on the film’s ultimate message about enmeshed dynamics. Accounts suggest that those not in relationships have interpreted the film as a compelling reason for remaining unattached. Conversely, some couples who were in conflict found that the film ended up guiding them to reconcile.
Whether you’re single or coupled up, your own response could potentially serve as a great barometer of how you think about commitment. Will the conclusion sow feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a positive outlook on love? Will you recognize your own traits in one of the characters and scream at your TV, or simply turn to your partner and say, “I’d do that for you”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an test you can undertake at this very moment.
Together is available to watch on Hulu at present.
