Consider this a test for those in enduring partnerships who appreciate scary movies: Settle in with your loved one and watch Together. This 2025 indie hit just made its online premiere on the Hulu service. Outwardly, it might appear like standard physical horror, but inside Together lies a deep examination about the ways we decide to love our partners.
An Introductory Film Delving into Relationship Dynamics
Together represents the introductory feature for director Michael Shanks. It stars Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Tim and Millie, an unmarried couple that have been together for ten years. United in marriage in reality in 2017, Franco and Brie bring a unique chemistry to their characters, masterfully depicting both the strengths and weaknesses of a enduring union.
The narrative begins when Millie and Tim move from the big city to the country for her career. A commonly used story element, of course, but that’s primarily where the conventions conclude. Together evolves into as much a examination of mental states of the partnership as it is a film about physical terror.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While walking near their country house, a storm hits, and the protagonists fall into an subterranean cavern. After a night spent there and eventually escaping, a mysterious influence begins influencing the pair. This force induces a paranormal intimacy between them that goes far beyond emotional intimacy.
The complete narrative is a methodically building of scares, blending moments of dreamlike terrors, unsettling (but tastefully done) physical transformations, and genuinely funny interactions (sometimes during something disturbing). Michael Shanks orchestrates these parts seamlessly and wraps them up in a gradually swelling aura of dread.
Complex Characterizations
A great deal of Together is solely Brie and Franco, and they masterfully render numerous complexities to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Her self-assurance and emotional bond is suffering due to a distance. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his unwillingness to chase only his floundering music career inexorably rises.
Conversely, Tim senses confinement and separated by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve left the city and distant from his social circle. He is terrified of the idea of totally forfeiting his individual identity in his partner. This fear is further exacerbated by the reality he can’t drive and relies on Millie for getting around.
Shanks’ smartest move in Together never makes Tim or Millie the obvious villain.
Both characters confront the sort of issues that come with long-term unions a decade in. Deep down, they still love each other. They still laugh together, offer support, and open up at times. But beneath it all, there’s an inescapable current of uncertainty about their future together.
Allegory and Meaning
While the supernatural forces in Together represent these fears of codependency and giving oneself over to a partner, the metaphor never feels hamfisted or heavy-handed. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments provide a perfect parallel to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the horror and the drama enhance each other in a mutually beneficial way.
A Debated Finale
Together’s ending, which remains unspoiled, has sparked debate on the story's concluding statement about unhealthy partnerships. Accounts suggest that those not in relationships have interpreted the film as a strong argument for avoiding commitment. On the other hand, certain partners experiencing tension found that the film actually helped them make up.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own interpretation could potentially serve as a great barometer of how you view relationships. Will the conclusion sow feelings of uneasiness and dread, 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 understand that choice”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an experiment you can undertake at this very moment.
Together is currently playing on Hulu now.
