We present a test for partners in committed relationships who are fans of scary movies: Sit down with your partner and watch Together. This independent film success of 2025 just made its online premiere on Hulu. At first glance, it may seem like standard body horror, but inside Together lies a intense meditation about the ways we decide to love our partners.
A Directorial Debut Exploring Partnership Complexities
Together represents the first full-length movie for director Michael Shanks. It features the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Millie and Tim, an unmarried couple that have been together for a decade. Married in reality in 2017, Franco and Brie contribute a special spark to their characters, masterfully depicting both the joys and frustrations of a long-term relationship.
The story starts when Tim and Millie relocate from the big city to the rural area for her career. A familiar plot device, of course, but that’s largely where the conventions cease. Together transforms into as much a psychological exploration of the partnership as it is a movie featuring biological frights.
A Paranormal Spark
While hiking near their new home, a storm hits, and Millie and Tim fall into an hole in the earth. After a night spent there and managing to escape, a mysterious influence starts to affect the pair. This force induces a paranormal intimacy between them that goes exceeding emotional intimacy.
The entire film is a gradually intensifying fright fest, blending bits of dreamlike terrors, disturbing (but not excessively graphic) biological grotesqueries, and surprisingly comedic dialogue (sometimes during something horrific). Michael Shanks weaves these elements together expertly and wraps them up in a consistently growing atmosphere of fear.
Complex Characterizations
A large part of Together is only the performances of its stars, and they deftly portray manifold depths to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Millie’s confidence and emotional bond is suffering due to a distance. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his reluctance to pursue anything but his struggling artistic pursuits gradually emerges.
In contrast, Tim's character senses confinement and cut off by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve relocated rural and distant from his social circle. He fears the idea of utterly sacrificing his personal autonomy in another person. This fear is amplified by the reality he lacks a driver's license and needs Millie for mobility.
Shanks’ smartest move is that he avoids making one partner or the other the definite antagonist.
The couple grapple with the type of challenges that come with any relationship after ten years. Deep down, they still love each other. They still laugh together, offer support, and are vulnerable at times. But under the surface, there’s an persistent undercurrent of doubt about their future together.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the otherworldly presence in Together act as a metaphor for these fears of codependency and fully committing to another person, the metaphor never feels overly obvious or heavy-handed. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments present a perfect parallel to the character-driven drama. Both the frights and the fights enhance each other symbiotically.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s final act, which remains unspoiled, has created disagreement on the story's concluding statement about codependent relationships. Reports indicate that those not in relationships have understood the narrative as a powerful case for staying single. On the other hand, certain partners having disagreements found that the film actually helped them make up.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own response could function as a telling indicator of how you view relationships. Will the conclusion sow anxiety and horror, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you identify in either protagonist and yell at the screen, or simply turn to your other half and say, “I understand that choice”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an experiment you can undertake right now.
Together is currently playing on the streaming service Hulu as of this moment.
