Here's a test for those in enduring partnerships who are fans of scary movies: Get comfortable with your significant other and stream Together. This 2025 indie hit recently had its online premiere via Hulu. Outwardly, it might appear like typical physical horror, but within Together exists a deep meditation about our choices in loving one another.
A Debut Feature Delving into The Nuances of Love
Together represents the debut feature-length film for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It showcases the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Tim and Millie, an unmarried couple that have been together for ten years. United in marriage in reality in 2017, the two stars contribute a particular energy to their portrayals, skillfully embodying both the good and bad of a committed partnership.
The story starts when Tim and Millie move from the big city to the country for professional reasons. A familiar narrative setup, admittedly, but that’s largely where the conventions conclude. Together evolves into as much a psychological exploration of the couple's dynamic as it is a body horror flick.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While walking near their new home, a violent storm occurs, and the two discover an subterranean cavern. After being trapped overnight there and finally finding a way out, a strange force begins influencing the couple. This force compels a supernatural closeness between them that goes far beyond emotional intimacy.
The entire film is a methodically building of scares, weaving in elements of dreamlike terrors, unsettling (but tastefully done) biological grotesqueries, and genuinely funny interactions (sometimes during something disturbing). The director weaves these elements together neatly and wraps them up in a slowly mounting aura of dread.
Nuanced Portrayals
A large part of Together is exclusively Brie and Franco, and they masterfully render numerous complexities to the characters’ relationship. Millie’s confidence and feeling of intimacy is waning due to a emotional and physical gap. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his unwillingness to pursue anything but his failing musical ambitions inexorably rises.
In contrast, Tim's character experiences isolation and cut off by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve relocated rural and far away from his social circle. He fears the notion of completely losing his sense of self in another person. This fear is amplified by the fact he does not operate a vehicle and is dependent on Millie for transportation.
Shanks’ smartest move in this movie avoids making one partner or the other the obvious villain.
Both characters face the kind of problems that are inherent in any relationship a decade in. Deep down, they have affection for one another. They find humor with each other, provide solace, and open up at times. But beneath it all, there’s an inescapable feeling of questioning about their relationship.
Thematic Depth
While the paranormal elements in Together represent these fears of codependency and fully committing to a partner, the symbolism avoids being clumsy or pretentious. Instead, these visceral horror elements offer a perfect parallel to the relationship narrative. Both the frights and the fights enhance each other in harmony.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s final act, which is best experienced firsthand, has left audiences divided on the story's concluding statement about codependent relationships. Accounts suggest that single viewers have seen the movie as a powerful case for remaining unattached. Conversely, some couples experiencing tension found that the film actually helped them reconcile.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own response could potentially serve as a revealing measure of how you perceive partnership. Will the finale inspire a sense of discomfort and fear, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you recognize your own traits in Tim or Millie and scream at your TV, or simply glance toward your other half and state, “I understand that choice”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an test you can experience today.
Together is streaming on Hulu's platform at present.
