We present a test for partners in committed relationships who are fans of scary movies: Settle in with your loved one and view Together. This critically acclaimed 2025 movie has now made its streaming debut via Hulu. Outwardly, it could look like standard physical horror, but inside Together lies a intense meditation about our choices in loving our partners.
An Introductory Film Investigating Partnership Complexities
Together marks the debut feature-length film for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It features Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Tim and Millie, a pair who are not married that have stayed together for over ten years. United in marriage in reality in 2017, the two stars infuse a unique chemistry to their portrayals, expertly portraying both the good and bad of a committed partnership.
The plot starts when Tim and Millie transition from the big city to the country for her career. A familiar narrative setup, admittedly, but that’s primarily where the tropes 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.
A Paranormal Spark
While walking near their country house, a tempest descends, and Millie and Tim tumble into an underground cave. After spending the night there and managing to escape, a mysterious influence begins influencing the duo. This force compels a supernatural closeness between them that goes exceeding typical partnership.
The whole movie is a methodically building fright fest, interspersing elements of hallucinatory nightmares, unsettling (but never too gross) body horror, and genuinely funny dialogue (sometimes amidst something grotesque). The director weaves these elements together seamlessly and presents them in a slowly mounting sense of impending doom.
Nuanced Portrayals
A great deal of Together is exclusively the two lead actors, and they skillfully illustrate numerous complexities to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Her self-assurance and feeling of intimacy is suffering due to a emotional and physical gap. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his unwillingness to pursue anything but his struggling artistic pursuits gradually emerges.
Conversely, Tim feels trapped and isolated by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve moved to the country and distant from his network of friends. He dreads the notion of totally forfeiting his individual identity in Millie. This fear is amplified by the fact he can’t drive and is dependent on Millie for getting around.
The director's cleverest decision in this movie avoids making one partner or the other the obvious villain.
Both characters confront the kind of problems that come with most partnerships a decade in. Fundamentally, they have affection for each other. They share moments of joy, provide solace, and share intimately at times. But under the surface, there’s an unavoidable current of uncertainty about their relationship.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the supernatural forces in Together symbolize these concerns of unhealthy attachment and giving oneself over to another person, the metaphor does not come across as clumsy or heavy-handed. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments present a ideal counterpart to the relationship narrative. Both the supernatural and the personal enhance each other in a mutually beneficial way.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s ending, which won’t be spoiled here, has sparked debate on the story's concluding statement about codependent relationships. Accounts suggest that single viewers have seen the movie as a compelling reason for avoiding commitment. On the other hand, a few pairs who were in conflict found that the film actually helped them resolve their issues.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own reaction could act as a telling indicator of how you view relationships. Will the conclusion sow anxiety and horror, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you see yourself in either protagonist and scream at your TV, or simply glance toward your partner and state, “We could get through that together”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an exploration you can experience right now.
Together is currently playing on Hulu's platform now.
