Consider this a test for long-term couples who appreciate scary movies: Sit down with your significant other and stream Together. The critically acclaimed 2025 movie recently had its streaming debut on the Hulu service. On the surface, it may seem like standard biological terror, but inside Together exists a profound contemplation about our choices in loving each other.
A Directorial Debut Delving into Partnership Complexities
Together marks the debut feature-length film for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It features actors Alison Brie and Dave Franco as Tim and Millie, an unmarried couple that have stayed together for over ten years. Having wed in actuality in 2017, the two stars bring a special spark to their portrayals, masterfully depicting both the joys and frustrations of a long-term relationship.
The story commences when Millie and Tim move from the big city to the countryside for her career. A somewhat stereotypical narrative setup, sure, but that’s primarily where the tropes cease. Together transforms into as much a psychological exploration of the pair’s relationship as it is a body horror flick.
A Paranormal Spark
While walking near their new home, a violent storm occurs, and Millie and Tim fall into an subterranean cavern. After being trapped overnight there and finally finding a way out, a strange force begins influencing the pair. This force induces a paranormal intimacy between them that goes exceeding typical partnership.
The whole movie is a gradually intensifying horror experience, blending elements of hallucinatory nightmares, gross (but tastefully done) biological grotesqueries, and surprisingly comedic dialogue (sometimes amidst something horrific). Michael Shanks weaves these elements together neatly and delivers them in a gradually swelling aura of dread.
Nuanced Portrayals
A great deal of Together is exclusively Brie and Franco, and they masterfully render numerous complexities to the partnership at the film's core. Her self-assurance and sense of connection is suffering due to a emotional and physical gap. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his reluctance to chase only his struggling artistic pursuits slowly bubbles to the surface.
Tim, on the other hand experiences isolation and cut off by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve relocated rural and far away from his social circle. He fears the idea of utterly sacrificing his individual identity in another person. This fear is further exacerbated by the reality he can’t drive and needs Millie for mobility.
The director's cleverest decision is that he never makes Tim or Millie the definite antagonist.
The couple grapple with the sort of issues that arise in long-term unions a decade in. Fundamentally, they continue to care for each other. They share moments of joy, provide solace, and share intimately at times. But beneath it all, there’s an persistent feeling of questioning about their bond.
Thematic Depth
While the otherworldly presence in Together symbolize these anxieties of excessive reliance and giving oneself over to another person, the metaphor never feels overly obvious or heavy-handed. Instead, these visceral horror elements offer a perfect parallel to the character-driven drama. Both the horror and the drama serve the other symbiotically.
A Debated Finale
Together’s final act, which won’t be spoiled here, has sparked debate on the film’s ultimate message about unhealthy partnerships. It has been said that unattached audience members have seen the movie as a strong argument for staying single. Meanwhile, a few pairs experiencing tension found that the film actually helped them resolve their issues.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own response could act as a revealing measure of how you view relationships. Will the conclusion plant anxiety and horror, or a positive outlook on love? Will you recognize your own traits in one of the characters and yell at the screen, or simply glance toward your partner and state, “I understand that choice”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an test you can experience at this very moment.
Together is streaming on Hulu's platform as of this moment.
