Consider this a test for partners in committed relationships who enjoy scary movies: Settle in with your partner and view Together. This critically acclaimed 2025 movie just made its online premiere via Hulu. At first glance, it may seem like typical body horror, but inside Together resides a profound examination about our choices in loving each other.
An Introductory Film Exploring The Nuances of Love
Together represents the debut feature-length film for director Michael Shanks. It features Dave Franco and Alison Brie as a couple named Tim and Millie, an unmarried couple that have remained a couple for over ten years. Having wed in reality in 2017, the actors infuse a special spark to their portrayals, masterfully depicting both the good and bad of a long-term relationship.
The story begins when Tim and Millie transition from the big city to the country for her career. A commonly used plot device, admittedly, but that’s primarily where the cliches end. Together evolves into as much a psychological exploration of the partnership as it is a film about physical terror.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While hiking near their rural residence, a storm hits, and Millie and Tim fall into an subterranean cavern. After being trapped overnight there and eventually escaping, a strange force starts to affect the duo. This force induces a otherworldly bond between them that goes far beyond emotional intimacy.
The whole movie is a slow burn of scares, blending elements of dreamlike terrors, disturbing (but tastefully done) physical transformations, and surprisingly comedic dialogue (sometimes in the middle of something horrific). Michael Shanks orchestrates these parts expertly and wraps them up in a gradually swelling aura of dread.
Layered Performances
A large part of Together is exclusively Brie and Franco, and they masterfully render manifold depths to the partnership at the film's core. Millie's sense of self and sense of connection is suffering due to a distance. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his unwillingness to focus on anything other than his failing musical ambitions gradually emerges.
In contrast, Tim's character feels trapped and cut off by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve left the city and distant from his network of friends. He dreads the notion of completely losing his personal autonomy in another person. This fear is further exacerbated by the fact he does not operate a vehicle and relies on Millie for mobility.
The film's most intelligent aspect is that he never makes either of his characters the clear bad guy.
The couple grapple with the sort of issues that arise in most partnerships after ten years. Fundamentally, they have affection for one another. They find humor with each other, offer support, and share intimately at times. But below this facade, there’s an persistent undercurrent of doubt about their bond.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the supernatural forces in Together symbolize these anxieties of codependency and giving oneself over to another person, the allegory avoids being overly obvious or heavy-handed. Instead, these visceral horror elements present a perfect parallel to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the horror and the drama work together symbiotically.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s final act, which remains unspoiled, has left audiences divided on the story's concluding statement about unhealthy partnerships. It has been said that unattached audience members have seen the movie as a strong argument for staying single. On the other hand, 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 interpretation could function as a telling indicator of how you view relationships. Will the ending inspire anxiety and horror, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you recognize your own traits in Tim or Millie and feel frustration, or simply look at your significant other and say, “We could get through that together”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an exploration you can undertake right now.
Together is currently playing on the streaming service Hulu as of this moment.
