Consider this a challenge for long-term couples who appreciate scary movies: Get comfortable with your partner and watch Together. This 2025 indie hit has now made its launch on a streaming platform on Hulu. On the surface, it might appear like conventional biological terror, but beneath Together lies a profound contemplation about the ways we decide to love each other.
An Introductory Film Investigating Partnership Complexities
Together is the introductory feature for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It features the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as a couple named Tim and Millie, a pair who are not married that have been together for a decade. Married in real life in 2017, the actors infuse a special spark to their portrayals, expertly portraying both the joys and frustrations of a long-term relationship.
The narrative begins when Tim and Millie move from the big city to the country for professional reasons. A somewhat stereotypical narrative setup, admittedly, but that’s primarily where the cliches cease. Together becomes as much a deep dive into the psyche of the pair’s relationship as it is a film about physical terror.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While trekking near their country house, a tempest descends, and the protagonists discover an hole in the earth. After spending the night there and managing to escape, a strange force begins influencing the duo. This force induces a otherworldly bond between them that goes far beyond simple connection.
The whole movie is a methodically building fright fest, interspersing elements of dreamlike terrors, gross (but never too gross) physical transformations, and genuinely funny exchanges (sometimes during something horrific). The director weaves these elements together seamlessly and presents them in a slowly mounting aura of dread.
Complex Characterizations
A large part of Together is solely Brie and Franco, and they masterfully render numerous complexities to the partnership at the film's core. Millie's sense of self and feeling of intimacy is waning due to a lack of intimacy. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his reluctance to focus on anything other than his floundering music career slowly bubbles to the surface.
Conversely, Tim experiences isolation and separated by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve left the city and removed from his social circle. He dreads the notion of totally forfeiting his individual identity in Millie. This fear is amplified by the circumstance he can’t drive and needs Millie for transportation.
Shanks’ smartest move in Together refrains from painting Tim or Millie the definite antagonist.
Tim and Millie confront the kind of problems that are inherent in most partnerships after ten years. At their core, they continue to care for one another. They share moments of joy, provide solace, and share intimately at times. But beneath it all, there’s an unavoidable current of uncertainty about their relationship.
Allegory and Meaning
While the otherworldly presence in Together represent these fears of unhealthy attachment and fully committing to another person, the metaphor never feels overly obvious or pretentious. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments present a brilliant analogue to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the supernatural and the personal work together symbiotically.
A Debated Finale
Together’s final act, which remains unspoiled, has left audiences divided on the story's concluding statement about unhealthy partnerships. Accounts suggest that those not in relationships have understood the narrative as a compelling reason for staying single. Meanwhile, some couples experiencing tension found that the film ended up guiding them to make up.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own interpretation could potentially serve as a revealing measure of how you perceive partnership. Will the finale inspire a sense of discomfort and fear, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you recognize your own traits in Tim or Millie and yell at the screen, or simply turn to your significant other 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.
