We present a test for long-term couples who appreciate scary movies: Get comfortable with your partner and watch Together. This independent film success of 2025 just made its launch on a streaming platform on the Hulu service. At first glance, it might appear like conventional biological terror, but within Together lies a profound examination about our choices in loving each other.
A Directorial Debut Investigating The Nuances of Love
Together is the debut feature-length film for director Michael Shanks. It features the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Tim and Millie, a pair who are not married that have been together for ten years. Having wed in real life in 2017, the two stars infuse a special spark to their portrayals, expertly portraying both the strengths and weaknesses of a committed partnership.
The plot starts when Millie and Tim transition from the metropolis to the countryside for her career. A commonly used plot device, sure, but that’s mostly where the conventions end. Together transforms into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the partnership as it is a body horror flick.
A Paranormal Spark
While trekking near their country house, a violent storm occurs, and Millie and Tim tumble into an subterranean cavern. After being trapped overnight there and finally finding a way out, a strange force starts to affect the pair. This force compels a otherworldly bond between them that goes exceeding simple connection.
The entire film is a methodically building fright fest, blending moments of dreamlike terrors, disturbing (but not excessively graphic) biological grotesqueries, and genuinely funny interactions (sometimes in the middle of something grotesque). The director skillfully blends these components neatly and delivers them in a gradually swelling sense of impending doom.
Nuanced Portrayals
A great deal of Together is solely the two lead actors, and they masterfully render manifold depths to the partnership at the film's core. Millie’s confidence and feeling of intimacy is suffering due to a lack of intimacy. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his reluctance to focus on anything other than his failing musical ambitions gradually emerges.
Conversely, Tim feels trapped and cut off by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve left the city and removed from his social circle. He is terrified of the idea of totally forfeiting his individual identity in his partner. This fear is intensified by the circumstance he lacks a driver's license and is dependent on Millie for transportation.
Shanks’ smartest move in this movie refrains from painting one partner or the other the definite antagonist.
Both characters grapple with the kind of problems that come with any relationship over a long period. Fundamentally, they continue to care for each other. They share moments of joy, comfort one another, and share intimately at times. But below this facade, there’s an persistent current of uncertainty about their relationship.
Thematic Depth
While the supernatural forces in Together symbolize these concerns of excessive reliance and totally devoting oneself to another person, the symbolism avoids being overly obvious or self-important. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments offer a perfect parallel to the character-driven drama. Both the frights and the fights work together in a mutually beneficial way.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s conclusion, which is best experienced firsthand, has left audiences divided on the movie's final takeaway about unhealthy partnerships. Accounts suggest that unattached audience members have interpreted the film as a compelling reason for avoiding commitment. Conversely, a few pairs experiencing tension found that the film ended up guiding them to reconcile.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own response could act as a revealing measure of how you view relationships. Will the ending inspire feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you see yourself in either protagonist and feel frustration, or simply look at your partner and state, “We could get through that together”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an test you can undertake at this very moment.
Together is available to watch on the streaming service Hulu as of this moment.
