We present a challenge for long-term couples who enjoy scary movies: Get comfortable with your partner and stream Together. This 2025 indie hit just made its launch on a streaming platform on Hulu. On the surface, it might appear like conventional physical horror, but within Together lies a deep contemplation about how we choose to love our partners.
A Debut Feature Investigating Relationship Dynamics
Together marks the first full-length movie for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It showcases the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Millie and Tim, an unmarried couple that have remained a couple for ten years. United in marriage in actuality in 2017, the two stars infuse a special spark to their characters, expertly portraying both the good and bad of a enduring union.
The narrative begins when Tim and Millie move from the big city to the countryside for Millie’s job. A somewhat stereotypical plot device, admittedly, but that’s mostly where the conventions cease. Together evolves into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the couple's dynamic as it is a film about physical terror.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While walking near their new home, a storm hits, and the two fall into an hole in the earth. After spending the night there and managing to escape, a supernatural entity begins influencing the pair. This force creates a otherworldly bond between them that goes far beyond emotional intimacy.
The complete narrative is a methodically building of scares, weaving in bits of fever-dream horrors, gross (but not excessively graphic) biological grotesqueries, and authentically humorous interactions (sometimes in the middle of something disturbing). The director orchestrates these parts seamlessly and wraps them up in a gradually swelling aura of dread.
Nuanced Portrayals
A large part of Together is only Brie and Franco, and they deftly portray manifold depths to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Millie's sense of self and emotional bond is suffering due to a emotional and physical gap. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his hesitance to pursue anything but his floundering music career inexorably rises.
Tim, on the other hand senses confinement and separated by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve moved to the country and removed from his network of friends. He dreads the concept of completely losing his personal autonomy in another person. This fear is amplified by the circumstance he can’t drive and relies on Millie for getting around.
Shanks’ smartest move is that he avoids making Tim or Millie the clear bad guy.
Both characters confront the kind of problems that are inherent in long-term unions a decade in. Deep down, they continue to care for one another. They find humor with each other, comfort one another, and are vulnerable at times. But beneath it all, there’s an persistent current of uncertainty about their relationship.
Allegory and Meaning
While the otherworldly presence in Together represent these fears of codependency and totally devoting oneself to a partner, the symbolism does not come across as overly obvious or heavy-handed. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes offer a ideal counterpart to the character-driven drama. Both the horror and the drama serve the other in a mutually beneficial way.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s final act, which remains unspoiled, has sparked debate on the movie's final takeaway about codependent relationships. It has been said that single viewers have interpreted the film as a compelling reason for avoiding commitment. Conversely, some couples having disagreements found that the film actually helped them resolve their issues.
Whether you’re single or coupled up, your own interpretation could function as a revealing measure of how you view relationships. Will the finale sow anxiety and horror, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you see yourself in Tim or Millie and feel frustration, or simply turn to your partner and say, “I understand that choice”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an test you can embark on right now.
Together is available to watch on Hulu as of this moment.
