We present a dare for partners in committed relationships who appreciate scary movies: Sit down with your significant other and watch Together. This independent film success of 2025 just made its launch on a streaming platform on Hulu. On the surface, it could look like standard physical horror, but within Together lies a profound meditation about the ways we decide to love each other.
An Introductory Film Exploring Relationship Dynamics
Together represents the first full-length movie for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It stars Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Millie and Tim, an unmarried couple that have been together for over ten years. Married in actuality in 2017, the two stars infuse a particular energy to their portrayals, skillfully embodying both the joys and frustrations of a long-term relationship.
The narrative commences when Tim and Millie move from the metropolis to the countryside for professional reasons. A commonly used plot device, admittedly, but that’s largely where the cliches end. Together becomes as much a examination of mental states of the pair’s relationship as it is a film about physical terror.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While walking near their country house, a tempest descends, and the protagonists tumble into an hole in the earth. After being trapped overnight there and eventually escaping, a strange force starts to affect the duo. This force induces a supernatural closeness between them that goes far beyond simple connection.
The whole movie is a methodically building horror experience, interspersing bits of hallucinatory nightmares, disturbing (but never too gross) biological grotesqueries, and genuinely funny interactions (sometimes amidst something grotesque). Shanks weaves these elements together neatly and wraps them up in a gradually swelling aura of dread.
Layered Performances
A great deal of Together is exclusively Brie and Franco, and they deftly portray numerous complexities to the characters’ relationship. Millie's sense of self and emotional bond is suffering due to a distance. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his unwillingness to focus on anything other than his floundering music career inexorably rises.
Tim, on the other hand senses confinement and isolated by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve relocated rural and distant from his social circle. He fears the idea of completely losing his personal autonomy in his partner. This fear is amplified by the reality he lacks a driver's license and relies on Millie for transportation.
Shanks’ smartest move in this movie refrains from painting either of his characters the definite antagonist.
Both characters grapple with the kind of problems that arise in most partnerships a decade in. At their core, they continue to care for one another. They still laugh together, provide solace, and share intimately at times. But below this facade, there’s an persistent undercurrent of doubt about their future together.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the supernatural forces in Together represent these fears of excessive reliance and totally devoting oneself to another person, the allegory does not come across as clumsy or pretentious. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments present a brilliant analogue to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the frights and the fights enhance each other in a mutually beneficial way.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s final act, which won’t be spoiled here, has created disagreement on the story's concluding statement about unhealthy partnerships. Reports indicate that unattached audience members have interpreted the film as a powerful case for staying single. On the other hand, certain partners 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 great barometer of how you think about commitment. Will the finale inspire a sense of discomfort and fear, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you identify in one of the characters and feel frustration, or simply glance toward your significant other and utter, “We could get through that together”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an experiment you can embark on at this very moment.
Together is streaming on Hulu's platform at present.
