Consider this a challenge for those in enduring partnerships who appreciate scary movies: Get comfortable with your partner and view Together. This critically acclaimed 2025 movie has now made its streaming debut via Hulu. At first glance, it might appear like conventional biological terror, but inside Together exists a profound meditation about our choices in loving one another.
A Directorial Debut Delving into Relationship Dynamics
Together marks the first full-length movie for director Michael Shanks. It features Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Millie and Tim, partners that have been together for over ten years. Having wed in real life in 2017, the two stars bring a particular energy to their characters, expertly portraying both the good and bad of a long-term relationship.
The narrative starts when Millie and Tim move from the big city to the countryside for her career. A somewhat stereotypical plot device, admittedly, but that’s largely where the tropes end. Together transforms 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 hiking near their rural residence, a violent storm occurs, and the two tumble into an subterranean cavern. After a night spent there and eventually escaping, a supernatural entity takes hold of the couple. This force compels a supernatural closeness between them that goes far beyond emotional intimacy.
The whole movie is a slow burn fright fest, weaving in moments of hallucinatory nightmares, disturbing (but not excessively graphic) physical transformations, and surprisingly comedic dialogue (sometimes during something horrific). Shanks orchestrates these parts seamlessly and presents them in a gradually swelling atmosphere of fear.
Nuanced Portrayals
A significant portion of Together is only Brie and Franco, and they deftly portray countless layers to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Millie’s confidence and sense of connection is waning due to a lack of intimacy. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his hesitance to focus on anything other than his failing musical ambitions gradually emerges.
Tim, on the other hand experiences isolation and isolated by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve moved to the country and distant from his social circle. He dreads the idea of utterly sacrificing his personal autonomy in his partner. This fear is amplified by the fact he does not operate a vehicle and needs Millie for getting around.
Shanks’ smartest move in Together never makes Tim or Millie the obvious villain.
Both characters grapple with the kind of problems that are inherent in any relationship a decade in. At their core, they still love one another. They share moments of joy, comfort one another, and open up at times. But beneath it all, there’s an unavoidable undercurrent of doubt about their future together.
Thematic Depth
While the otherworldly presence in Together represent these fears of codependency and fully committing to another person, the symbolism does not come across as hamfisted or heavy-handed. Instead, these visceral horror elements present a ideal counterpart to the character-driven drama. Both the horror and the drama work together in a mutually beneficial way.
A Debated Finale
Together’s conclusion, which won’t be spoiled here, has sparked debate on the film’s ultimate message about codependent relationships. Reports indicate that unattached audience members have understood the narrative as a powerful case for remaining unattached. Meanwhile, certain partners having disagreements found that the film ultimately assisted them reconcile.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own interpretation could function as a telling indicator of how you view relationships. Will the conclusion sow feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you see yourself in one of the characters and scream at your TV, or simply glance toward your partner and say, “I understand that choice”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an experiment you can embark on right now.
Together is currently playing on Hulu's platform now.
