We present a challenge for long-term couples who are fans of scary movies: Sit down with your loved one and stream Together. The independent film success of 2025 recently had its launch on a streaming platform on Hulu. On the surface, it might appear like conventional physical horror, but beneath Together resides a profound examination about our choices in loving our partners.
A Debut Feature Exploring The Nuances of Love
Together is the debut feature-length film for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It features actors Alison Brie and Dave Franco as Tim and Millie, a pair who are not married that have been together for a decade. United in marriage in reality in 2017, the two stars infuse a unique chemistry to their roles, expertly portraying both the good and bad of a long-term relationship.
The narrative starts when the couple relocate from the big city to the countryside for Millie’s job. A somewhat stereotypical story element, admittedly, but that’s mostly where the tropes cease. Together becomes as much a examination of mental states of the couple's dynamic as it is a film about physical terror.
A Paranormal Spark
While trekking near their new home, a tempest descends, and the two tumble into an hole in the earth. After spending the night there and managing to escape, a strange force starts to affect the pair. This force compels a supernatural closeness between them that goes exceeding simple connection.
The entire film is a methodically building fright fest, blending moments of fever-dream horrors, unsettling (but not excessively graphic) body horror, and authentically humorous exchanges (sometimes in the middle of something disturbing). Shanks orchestrates these parts neatly and wraps them up in a gradually swelling aura of dread.
Complex Characterizations
A significant portion of Together is solely the performances of its stars, and they skillfully illustrate countless layers to the partnership at the film's core. Millie's sense of self and sense of connection is deteriorating due to a emotional and physical gap. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his hesitance to focus on anything other than his failing musical ambitions slowly bubbles to the surface.
In contrast, Tim's character senses confinement and separated by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve relocated rural and far away from his support system. He fears the idea of totally forfeiting his sense of self in his partner. This fear is intensified by the circumstance he lacks a driver's license and relies on Millie for getting around.
The director's cleverest decision is that he never makes either of his characters the clear bad guy.
The couple grapple with the kind of problems that come with long-term unions a decade in. Fundamentally, they still love one another. They share moments of joy, comfort one another, and open up at times. But below this facade, there’s an inescapable feeling of questioning about their bond.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the paranormal elements in Together act as a metaphor for these anxieties of codependency and giving oneself over to another person, the metaphor avoids being overly obvious or heavy-handed. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments provide a ideal counterpart to the character-driven drama. Both the frights and the fights work together symbiotically.
A Debated Finale
Together’s final act, which is best experienced firsthand, has created disagreement on the story's concluding statement about codependent relationships. Accounts suggest that unattached audience members have interpreted the film as a compelling reason for staying single. Conversely, a few pairs having disagreements found that the film ended up guiding them to reconcile.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own reaction could act as a great barometer of how you view relationships. Will the conclusion plant feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you see yourself in Tim or Millie and yell at the screen, or simply glance toward your partner and say, “We could get through that together”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an experiment you can experience today.
Together is available to watch on Hulu's platform as of this moment.
