Consider this a test for partners in committed relationships who enjoy scary movies: Sit down with your significant other and watch Together. This critically acclaimed 2025 movie has now made its online premiere on the Hulu service. On the surface, it may seem like typical biological terror, but within Together resides a intense examination about the ways we decide to love one another.
A Directorial Debut Delving into Partnership Complexities
Together is the first full-length movie for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It stars actors Alison Brie and Dave Franco as Millie and Tim, an unmarried couple that have been together for ten years. United in marriage in reality in 2017, Franco and Brie bring a special spark to their roles, expertly portraying both the joys and frustrations of a committed partnership.
The narrative starts when Millie and Tim move from the urban environment to the rural area for Millie’s job. A somewhat stereotypical narrative setup, of course, but that’s largely where the tropes cease. Together becomes as much a examination of mental states of the couple's dynamic as it is a body horror flick.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While walking near their new home, a storm hits, and the two fall into an hole in the earth. After a night spent there and finally finding a way out, a mysterious influence begins influencing the pair. This force induces a supernatural closeness between them that goes well past emotional intimacy.
The whole movie is a gradually intensifying fright fest, weaving in moments of fever-dream horrors, unsettling (but tastefully done) biological grotesqueries, and authentically humorous dialogue (sometimes during something horrific). Michael Shanks weaves these elements together expertly and presents them in a gradually swelling sense of impending doom.
Nuanced Portrayals
A significant portion of Together is exclusively Brie and Franco, and they masterfully render numerous complexities to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Millie's sense of self and sense of connection is suffering due to a distance. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his reluctance to chase only his failing musical ambitions inexorably rises.
In contrast, Tim's character feels trapped and cut off by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve relocated rural and removed from his network of friends. He dreads the idea of utterly sacrificing his personal autonomy in his partner. This fear is intensified by the circumstance he can’t drive and needs Millie for getting around.
The film's most intelligent aspect is that he avoids making one partner or the other the obvious villain.
The couple face the sort of issues that are inherent in any relationship over a long period. Deep down, they still love one another. They still laugh together, provide solace, and share intimately 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 act as a metaphor for these anxieties of unhealthy attachment and giving oneself over to a partner, the symbolism never feels overly obvious or pretentious. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments present a perfect parallel to the character-driven drama. Both the frights and the fights serve the other in harmony.
A Debated Finale
Together’s conclusion, which is best experienced firsthand, has left audiences divided on the film’s ultimate message about enmeshed dynamics. It has been said that single viewers have interpreted the film as a powerful case for staying single. Conversely, a few pairs who were in conflict found that the film ended up guiding them to resolve their issues.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own reaction could function as a great barometer of how you think about commitment. Will the finale sow feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you see yourself in either protagonist and scream at your TV, or simply turn to your significant other and state, “I’d do that for you”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an experiment you can undertake today.
Together is available to watch on Hulu's platform as of this moment.
