Here's a test for partners in committed relationships who are fans of scary movies: Sit down with your loved one and view Together. This independent film success of 2025 just made its launch on a streaming platform via Hulu. At first glance, it could look like typical biological terror, but inside Together lies a deep contemplation about how we choose to love each other.
A Debut Feature Delving into Relationship Dynamics
Together is the debut feature-length film for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It stars the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Tim and Millie, partners that have been together for over ten years. Married in real life in 2017, Franco and Brie contribute a special spark to their characters, expertly portraying both the good and bad of a long-term relationship.
The plot starts when the couple relocate from the metropolis to the countryside for professional reasons. A commonly used story element, admittedly, but that’s largely where the conventions conclude. Together transforms into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the couple's dynamic as it is a film about physical terror.
A Paranormal Spark
While trekking near their rural residence, a violent storm occurs, and Millie and Tim tumble into an underground cave. After spending the night there and finally finding a way out, a strange force begins influencing the duo. This force compels a supernatural closeness between them that goes well past simple connection.
The entire film is a slow burn fright fest, interspersing moments of hallucinatory nightmares, unsettling (but never too gross) biological grotesqueries, and genuinely funny interactions (sometimes amidst something disturbing). Michael Shanks weaves these elements together expertly and presents them in a consistently growing atmosphere of fear.
Complex Characterizations
A large part of Together is solely the two lead actors, and they skillfully illustrate countless layers to the characters’ relationship. Her self-assurance and sense of connection is deteriorating due to a emotional and physical gap. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his unwillingness to pursue anything but his failing musical ambitions slowly bubbles to the surface.
Conversely, Tim experiences isolation and separated by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve relocated rural and distant from his social circle. He dreads the idea of utterly sacrificing his individual identity in Millie. This fear is further exacerbated by the circumstance he lacks a driver's license and relies on Millie for mobility.
The film's most intelligent aspect in Together never makes Tim or Millie the clear bad guy.
Both characters grapple with the sort of issues that come with any relationship over a long period. Fundamentally, they continue to care for each other. They still laugh together, offer support, and are vulnerable at times. But under the surface, there’s an inescapable feeling of questioning about their bond.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the otherworldly presence in Together symbolize these concerns of excessive reliance and giving oneself over to a partner, the allegory avoids being clumsy or heavy-handed. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes provide a brilliant analogue to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the horror and the drama enhance each other symbiotically.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s conclusion, which won’t be spoiled here, has left audiences divided on the movie's final takeaway about unhealthy partnerships. Reports indicate that single viewers have understood the narrative as a compelling reason for remaining unattached. Meanwhile, some couples who were in conflict found that the film ended up guiding them to make up.
Whether you’re single or coupled up, your own interpretation could function as a great barometer of how you perceive partnership. Will the conclusion inspire feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you see yourself in Tim or Millie and yell at the screen, or simply glance toward your significant other and state, “I understand that choice”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an exploration you can undertake right now.
Together is available to watch on Hulu now.
