Here's a dare for long-term couples who enjoy scary movies: Get comfortable with your significant other and stream Together. The 2025 indie hit recently had its launch on a streaming platform on Hulu. On the surface, it may seem like standard body horror, but inside Together exists a intense meditation about how we choose to love our partners.
An Introductory Film Exploring Relationship Dynamics
Together is the first full-length movie for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It features actors Alison Brie and Dave Franco as Tim and Millie, partners that have been together for over ten years. Married in real life in 2017, the actors bring a unique chemistry to their roles, skillfully embodying both the joys and frustrations of a long-term relationship.
The plot begins when Tim and Millie transition from the metropolis to the country for Millie’s job. A commonly used story element, admittedly, but that’s mostly where the cliches cease. Together evolves into as much a examination of mental states of the partnership as it is a film about physical terror.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While hiking near their new home, a tempest descends, and the protagonists tumble into an underground cave. After a night spent there and finally finding a way out, a strange force starts to affect the pair. This force compels a otherworldly bond between them that goes exceeding simple connection.
The whole movie is a methodically building fright fest, weaving in elements of fever-dream horrors, gross (but tastefully done) physical transformations, and surprisingly comedic exchanges (sometimes during something horrific). The director orchestrates these parts neatly and presents them in a slowly mounting atmosphere of fear.
Nuanced Portrayals
A great deal of Together is solely Brie and Franco, and they skillfully illustrate manifold depths to the partnership at the film's core. Millie's sense of self and sense of connection is waning due to a distance. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his reluctance to chase only his floundering music career gradually emerges.
In contrast, Tim's character feels trapped and cut off by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve left the city and removed from his social circle. He is terrified of the idea of utterly sacrificing his personal autonomy in another person. This fear is intensified by the circumstance he does not operate a vehicle and is dependent on Millie for transportation.
Shanks’ smartest move in Together never makes one partner or the other the obvious villain.
Both characters grapple with the kind of problems that arise in any relationship a decade in. At their core, they still love each other. They still laugh together, offer support, and are vulnerable at times. But under the surface, there’s an unavoidable undercurrent of doubt about their relationship.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the supernatural forces in Together act as a metaphor for these anxieties of codependency and fully committing to a partner, the allegory does not come across as clumsy or heavy-handed. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments present a perfect parallel to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the frights and the fights enhance each other symbiotically.
A Debated Finale
Together’s conclusion, which remains unspoiled, has left audiences divided on the film’s ultimate message about enmeshed dynamics. Reports indicate that those not in relationships have interpreted the film as a compelling reason for avoiding commitment. Conversely, some couples having disagreements found that the film ended up guiding them to make up.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own reaction could act as a great barometer of how you perceive partnership. Will the conclusion sow a sense of discomfort and fear, or a positive outlook on love? Will you see yourself in Tim or Millie and feel frustration, or simply glance toward your partner and state, “I’d do that for you”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an exploration you can embark on right now.
Together is streaming on the streaming service Hulu as of this moment.
