Here's a challenge for long-term couples who are fans of scary movies: Settle in with your loved one and stream Together. This 2025 indie hit just made its online premiere on the Hulu service. On the surface, it may seem like typical physical horror, but within Together resides a deep examination about our choices in loving one another.
An Introductory Film Delving into The Nuances of Love
Together represents the introductory feature for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It features the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as a couple named Tim and Millie, an unmarried couple that have remained a couple for ten years. Having wed in real life in 2017, the actors contribute a unique chemistry to their characters, expertly portraying both the good and bad of a committed partnership.
The story commences when Tim and Millie relocate from the big city to the rural area for her career. A somewhat stereotypical story element, of course, but that’s largely where the tropes conclude. Together transforms into as much a examination of mental states of the pair’s relationship as it is a movie featuring biological frights.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While walking near their country house, a violent storm occurs, and the two tumble into an underground cave. After spending the night there and finally finding a way out, a supernatural entity starts to affect the pair. This force induces a otherworldly bond between them that goes exceeding emotional intimacy.
The entire film is a slow burn fright fest, weaving in moments of hallucinatory nightmares, disturbing (but not excessively graphic) biological grotesqueries, and genuinely funny interactions (sometimes in the middle of something horrific). Shanks orchestrates these parts expertly and presents them in a slowly mounting sense of impending doom.
Nuanced Portrayals
A significant portion of Together is exclusively the performances of its stars, and they masterfully render numerous complexities to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Her self-assurance and sense of connection is suffering due to a lack of intimacy. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his hesitance to pursue anything but his struggling artistic pursuits gradually emerges.
Tim, on the other hand experiences isolation and cut off by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve left the city and distant from his network of friends. He dreads the idea of utterly sacrificing his individual identity in Millie. This fear is amplified by the circumstance he does not operate a vehicle and needs Millie for getting around.
The film's most intelligent aspect is that he avoids making either of his characters the clear bad guy.
Both characters confront the type of challenges that arise in any relationship over a long period. Deep down, they have affection for one another. They still laugh together, comfort one another, and open up at times. But below this facade, there’s an inescapable current of uncertainty about their bond.
Allegory and Meaning
While the supernatural forces in Together act as a metaphor for these anxieties of excessive reliance and totally devoting oneself to a partner, the allegory does not come across as overly obvious or self-important. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments present a ideal counterpart to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the horror and the drama work together in a mutually beneficial way.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s final act, which won’t be spoiled here, has sparked debate on the movie's final takeaway about codependent relationships. Reports indicate that single viewers have understood the narrative as a strong argument for avoiding commitment. On the other hand, certain partners who were in conflict found that the film ultimately assisted them reconcile.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own response could potentially serve as a telling indicator of how you view relationships. Will the ending inspire a sense of discomfort and fear, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you recognize your own traits in one of the characters and yell at the screen, or simply look at your other half and say, “I’d do that for you”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an exploration you can experience at this very moment.
Together is streaming on Hulu now.
