We present a dare for long-term couples who appreciate scary movies: Settle in with your loved one and stream Together. The 2025 indie hit just made its streaming debut on Hulu. On the surface, it might appear like typical body horror, but beneath Together lies a deep meditation about our choices in loving each other.
A Debut Feature Delving into Relationship Dynamics
Together marks the first full-length movie for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It stars Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Millie and Tim, a pair who are not married that have remained a couple for a decade. Having wed in reality in 2017, the two stars infuse a special spark to their characters, skillfully embodying both the joys and frustrations of a committed partnership.
The story begins when Millie and Tim relocate from the big city to the rural area for Millie’s job. A familiar plot device, admittedly, but that’s largely where the tropes cease. Together transforms into as much a examination of mental states of the pair’s relationship as it is a movie featuring biological frights.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While walking near their new home, a storm hits, and Millie and Tim fall into an subterranean cavern. After being trapped overnight there and eventually escaping, a supernatural entity starts to affect the duo. This force compels a otherworldly bond between them that goes far beyond emotional intimacy.
The complete narrative is a slow burn horror experience, interspersing bits of fever-dream horrors, gross (but tastefully done) physical transformations, and authentically humorous dialogue (sometimes in the middle of something grotesque). Shanks orchestrates these parts neatly and delivers them in a consistently growing atmosphere of fear.
Complex Characterizations
A large part of Together is exclusively the performances of its stars, and they masterfully render manifold depths to the partnership at the film's core. Millie's sense of self and feeling of intimacy is waning due to a lack of intimacy. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his unwillingness to focus on anything other than his failing musical ambitions inexorably rises.
In contrast, Tim's character feels trapped and separated by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve relocated rural and far away from his support system. He fears the idea of completely losing his individual identity in his partner. This fear is amplified by the fact he does not operate a vehicle and relies on Millie for mobility.
Shanks’ smartest move in Together avoids making one partner or the other the clear bad guy.
The couple confront the type of challenges that arise in any relationship a decade in. At their core, they still love one another. They find humor with each other, comfort one another, and open up at times. But beneath it all, there’s an unavoidable undercurrent of doubt about their future together.
Thematic Depth
While the otherworldly presence in Together represent these fears of excessive reliance and giving oneself over to a partner, the metaphor does not come across as hamfisted or self-important. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments present a perfect parallel to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the frights and the fights enhance each other in a mutually beneficial way.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s conclusion, which won’t be spoiled here, has left audiences divided on the story's concluding statement about codependent relationships. Reports indicate that unattached audience members have seen the movie as a powerful case for staying single. Conversely, a few pairs experiencing tension found that the film actually helped them reconcile.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own interpretation could act as a revealing measure of how you think about commitment. Will the conclusion plant a sense of discomfort and fear, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you identify in either protagonist and scream at your TV, or simply turn to your other half and utter, “We could get through that together”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an test you can embark on right now.
Together is currently playing on Hulu's platform at present.
