We present a dare for those in enduring partnerships who are fans of scary movies: Settle in with your significant other and view Together. The critically acclaimed 2025 movie just made its launch on a streaming platform on Hulu. Outwardly, it could look like standard physical horror, but beneath Together exists a deep contemplation about our choices in loving each other.
A Debut Feature Exploring Partnership Complexities
Together marks the debut feature-length film for director Michael Shanks. It stars actors Alison Brie and Dave Franco as a couple named Tim and Millie, partners that have been together for over ten years. Having wed in actuality in 2017, the actors bring a special spark to their portrayals, skillfully embodying both the strengths and weaknesses of a long-term relationship.
The plot starts when Tim and Millie move from the big city to the rural area for her career. A commonly used plot device, of course, but that’s primarily where the tropes conclude. Together evolves into as much a psychological exploration of the partnership as it is a body horror flick.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While hiking near their new home, a storm hits, and Millie and Tim discover an hole in the earth. After a night spent there and eventually escaping, a strange force starts to affect the couple. This force induces a supernatural closeness between them that goes well past simple connection.
The whole movie is a gradually intensifying of scares, interspersing moments of dreamlike terrors, gross (but never too gross) biological grotesqueries, and authentically humorous dialogue (sometimes in the middle of something horrific). Michael Shanks orchestrates these parts expertly and wraps them up in a gradually swelling aura of dread.
Layered Performances
A great deal of Together is exclusively Brie and Franco, and they masterfully render countless layers to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Her self-assurance and feeling of intimacy is waning due to a emotional and physical gap. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his hesitance to pursue anything but his failing musical ambitions gradually emerges.
Tim, on the other hand experiences isolation and cut off by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve moved to the country and distant from his support system. He dreads the idea of utterly sacrificing his personal autonomy in his partner. This fear is amplified by the fact he can’t drive and is dependent on Millie for getting around.
The film's most intelligent aspect in Together avoids making either of his characters the clear bad guy.
The couple confront the sort of issues that come with most partnerships a decade in. Deep down, they still love one another. They share moments of joy, offer support, and are vulnerable at times. But below this facade, there’s an unavoidable current of uncertainty about their relationship.
Thematic Depth
While the otherworldly presence in Together represent these fears of excessive reliance and giving oneself over to a partner, the symbolism never feels clumsy or heavy-handed. Instead, these visceral horror elements provide a ideal counterpart to the relationship narrative. Both the horror and the drama work together in a mutually beneficial way.
A Debated Finale
Together’s conclusion, which remains unspoiled, has left audiences divided on the film’s ultimate message about enmeshed dynamics. Accounts suggest that those not in relationships have interpreted the film as a compelling reason for remaining unattached. Conversely, some couples experiencing tension found that the film actually helped them resolve their issues.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own response could function as a great barometer of how you perceive partnership. Will the ending inspire feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you identify in one of the characters and scream at your TV, or simply look at your partner and utter, “I’d do that for you”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an exploration you can embark on at this very moment.
Together is available to watch on Hulu at present.
