Consider this a challenge for long-term couples who appreciate scary movies: Sit down with your partner and stream Together. The 2025 indie hit has now made its streaming debut via Hulu. At first glance, it may seem like standard biological terror, but within Together exists a deep meditation about our choices in loving one another.
A Debut Feature Delving into The Nuances of Love
Together is the first full-length movie for director Michael Shanks. It showcases Dave Franco and Alison Brie as a couple named Tim and Millie, an unmarried couple that have been together for a decade. Having wed in actuality in 2017, the two stars contribute a unique chemistry to their roles, skillfully embodying both the strengths and weaknesses of a committed partnership.
The plot commences when the couple move from the metropolis to the country for Millie’s job. A commonly used story element, admittedly, but that’s mostly where the tropes end. Together transforms into as much a psychological exploration of the couple's dynamic as it is a movie featuring biological frights.
A Paranormal Spark
While walking near their country house, a violent storm occurs, and Millie and Tim tumble into an subterranean cavern. After being trapped overnight there and managing to escape, a mysterious influence starts to affect the couple. This force compels a otherworldly bond between them that goes far beyond emotional intimacy.
The complete narrative is a slow burn of scares, blending moments of hallucinatory nightmares, gross (but tastefully done) body horror, and genuinely funny exchanges (sometimes in the middle of something horrific). Shanks weaves these elements together expertly and presents them in a gradually swelling sense of impending doom.
Layered Performances
A great deal of Together is only the performances of its stars, and they skillfully illustrate numerous complexities to the partnership at the film's core. Millie’s confidence and feeling of intimacy is suffering due to a emotional and physical gap. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his reluctance to chase only his floundering music career slowly bubbles to the surface.
In contrast, Tim's character feels trapped and separated by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve left the city and far away from his support system. He dreads the concept of totally forfeiting his individual identity in Millie. This fear is further exacerbated by the reality he can’t drive and is dependent on Millie for mobility.
Shanks’ smartest move is that he avoids making Tim or Millie the clear bad guy.
Both characters grapple with the kind of problems that come with any relationship a decade in. At their core, they still love one another. They share moments of joy, provide solace, and open up at times. But beneath it all, there’s an persistent feeling of questioning about their relationship.
Thematic Depth
While the otherworldly presence in Together act as a metaphor for these anxieties of unhealthy attachment and giving oneself over to a partner, the metaphor never feels hamfisted or heavy-handed. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments present a ideal counterpart to the character-driven drama. Both the frights and the fights enhance each other in harmony.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s conclusion, which won’t be spoiled here, has left audiences divided on the film’s ultimate message about enmeshed dynamics. It has been said that those not in relationships have seen the movie as a strong argument for staying single. On the other hand, a few pairs experiencing tension found that the film actually helped them reconcile.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own interpretation could potentially serve as a telling indicator of how you think about commitment. Will the finale plant anxiety and horror, 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 utter, “I’d do that for you”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an experiment you can undertake right now.
Together is streaming on Hulu as of this moment.
