Consider this a dare for long-term couples who appreciate scary movies: Settle in with your loved one and view Together. The 2025 indie hit recently had its online premiere on the Hulu service. At first glance, it may seem like typical biological terror, but within Together lies a profound meditation about our choices in loving one another.
A Debut Feature Investigating Partnership Complexities
Together represents the first full-length movie for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It stars Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Millie and Tim, an unmarried couple that have been together for a decade. Having wed in real life in 2017, the two stars bring a particular energy to their portrayals, expertly portraying both the strengths and weaknesses of a long-term relationship.
The plot starts when Tim and Millie relocate from the big city to the countryside for Millie’s job. A commonly used story element, sure, but that’s largely where the cliches conclude. Together evolves into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the couple's dynamic as it is a body horror flick.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While walking near their new home, a tempest descends, and the two tumble into an underground cave. After a night spent there and finally finding a way out, a supernatural entity starts to affect the couple. This force creates a supernatural closeness between them that goes exceeding typical partnership.
The complete narrative is a slow burn fright fest, weaving in moments of hallucinatory nightmares, gross (but never too gross) physical transformations, and genuinely funny interactions (sometimes amidst something disturbing). Michael Shanks weaves these elements together expertly and presents them in a consistently growing aura of dread.
Layered Performances
A great deal of Together is exclusively the performances of its stars, and they masterfully render countless layers to the partnership at the film's core. Her self-assurance and emotional bond is waning 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 inexorably rises.
Conversely, Tim experiences isolation and cut off by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve relocated rural and removed from his network of friends. He is terrified of the notion of utterly sacrificing his sense of self in his partner. This fear is further exacerbated by the fact he lacks a driver's license and is dependent on Millie for getting around.
The film's most intelligent aspect in this movie never makes Tim or Millie the definite antagonist.
The couple confront the sort of issues that come with long-term unions a decade in. Fundamentally, they continue to care for each other. They find humor with each other, offer support, and are vulnerable at times. But under the surface, there’s an inescapable feeling of questioning about their future together.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the supernatural forces in Together symbolize these concerns of unhealthy attachment and totally devoting oneself to another person, the metaphor avoids being clumsy or pretentious. Instead, these visceral horror elements provide a brilliant analogue to the relationship narrative. Both the supernatural and the personal serve the other in a mutually beneficial way.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s ending, which won’t be spoiled here, has created disagreement on the story's concluding statement about codependent relationships. It has been said that unattached audience members have seen the movie as a powerful case for remaining unattached. Meanwhile, some couples experiencing tension found that the film ultimately assisted them reconcile.
Whether you’re single or coupled up, your own reaction could function as a revealing measure of how you view relationships. Will the ending inspire a sense of discomfort and fear, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you see yourself in either protagonist and yell at the screen, or simply turn to your partner and state, “I’d do that for you”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an test you can experience right now.
Together is streaming on the streaming service Hulu as of this moment.
