Here's a dare for partners in committed relationships who enjoy scary movies: Get comfortable with your significant other and stream Together. This 2025 indie hit recently had its launch on a streaming platform on Hulu. On the surface, it might appear like standard biological terror, but beneath Together exists a intense meditation about how we choose to love our partners.
A Directorial Debut Investigating The Nuances of Love
Together marks the debut feature-length film for director Michael Shanks. It showcases the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Tim and Millie, partners that have been together for a decade. Having wed in real life in 2017, the two stars contribute a unique chemistry to their characters, masterfully depicting both the joys and frustrations of a committed partnership.
The plot begins when the couple transition from the metropolis to the countryside for professional reasons. A familiar narrative setup, of course, but that’s primarily where the conventions cease. Together transforms into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the partnership as it is a body horror flick.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While hiking near their rural residence, a tempest descends, and Millie and Tim discover an subterranean cavern. After spending the night there and managing to escape, a strange force takes hold of the pair. This force induces a paranormal intimacy between them that goes well past simple connection.
The entire film is a slow burn fright fest, weaving in elements of hallucinatory nightmares, gross (but not excessively graphic) body horror, and authentically humorous interactions (sometimes amidst something disturbing). Michael Shanks skillfully blends these components expertly and wraps them up in a slowly mounting aura of dread.
Nuanced Portrayals
A great deal of Together is only Brie and Franco, and they deftly portray manifold depths to the characters’ relationship. Millie's sense of self and emotional bond is suffering due to a emotional and physical gap. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his hesitance to pursue anything but his failing musical ambitions slowly bubbles to the surface.
In contrast, Tim's character senses confinement and cut off by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve relocated rural and removed from his support system. He is terrified of the concept of totally forfeiting his sense of self in Millie. This fear is intensified by the fact he does not operate a vehicle and relies on Millie for transportation.
Shanks’ smartest move in this movie never makes one partner or the other the obvious villain.
Both characters confront the kind of problems that come with long-term unions after ten years. Fundamentally, they have affection for one another. They share moments of joy, offer support, and open up at times. But beneath it all, there’s an persistent feeling of questioning about their bond.
Allegory and Meaning
While the supernatural forces in Together symbolize these fears of excessive reliance and giving oneself over to another person, the symbolism never feels hamfisted or self-important. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments present a perfect parallel to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the supernatural and the personal serve the other symbiotically.
A Debated Finale
Together’s ending, which is best experienced firsthand, has left audiences divided on the film’s ultimate message about unhealthy partnerships. Reports indicate that unattached audience members have seen the movie as a strong argument for staying single. On the other hand, some couples who were in conflict found that the film ended up guiding them to reconcile.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own reaction could potentially serve as a telling indicator of how you perceive partnership. Will the conclusion sow feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a positive outlook on love? Will you identify in Tim or Millie and yell at the screen, or simply glance toward your partner and utter, “I’d do that for you”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an test you can experience at this very moment.
Together is streaming on the streaming service Hulu as of this moment.
