We present a test for long-term couples who appreciate scary movies: Sit down with your significant other and stream Together. The 2025 indie hit just made its launch on a streaming platform via Hulu. At first glance, it could look like typical physical horror, but beneath Together lies a intense examination about the ways we decide to love one another.
A Debut Feature Exploring Relationship Dynamics
Together represents the debut feature-length film for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It showcases the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Millie and Tim, a pair who are not married that have stayed together for over ten years. Married in real life in 2017, Franco and Brie infuse a particular energy to their characters, skillfully embodying both the good and bad of a enduring union.
The narrative begins when Tim and Millie move from the big city to the country for her career. A familiar plot device, of course, but that’s primarily where the tropes cease. 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 walking near their new home, a storm hits, and Millie and Tim fall into an hole in the earth. After being trapped overnight there and eventually escaping, a mysterious influence begins influencing the pair. This force creates a paranormal intimacy between them that goes far beyond emotional intimacy.
The whole movie is a methodically building horror experience, interspersing bits of dreamlike terrors, gross (but not excessively graphic) biological grotesqueries, and genuinely funny interactions (sometimes amidst something disturbing). Michael Shanks skillfully blends these components seamlessly and presents them in a consistently growing atmosphere of fear.
Nuanced Portrayals
A great deal of Together is exclusively the two lead actors, and they deftly portray manifold depths to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Millie's sense of self and sense of connection is deteriorating due to a distance. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his unwillingness to pursue anything but his failing musical ambitions gradually emerges.
In contrast, Tim's character feels trapped and cut off by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve relocated rural and removed from his network of friends. He fears the notion of utterly sacrificing his individual identity in another person. This fear is intensified by the circumstance he lacks a driver's license and relies on Millie for transportation.
The director's cleverest decision in this movie avoids making one partner or the other the clear bad guy.
Both characters confront the sort of issues that are inherent in most partnerships after ten years. Deep down, they continue to care for each other. They find humor with each other, offer support, and share intimately at times. But beneath it all, there’s an persistent current of uncertainty about their relationship.
Allegory and Meaning
While the paranormal elements in Together symbolize these fears of codependency and giving oneself over to a partner, the metaphor never feels overly obvious or heavy-handed. Instead, these visceral horror elements present a brilliant analogue to the character-driven drama. Both the horror and the drama work together symbiotically.
A Debated Finale
Together’s conclusion, which won’t be spoiled here, has created disagreement on the story's concluding statement about codependent relationships. Reports indicate that unattached audience members have interpreted the film as a strong argument for avoiding commitment. Conversely, a few pairs having disagreements found that the film ended up guiding them to resolve their issues.
Whether you’re single or coupled up, your own reaction could act as a telling indicator of how you view relationships. Will the finale plant feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you see yourself in one of the characters and scream at your TV, or simply turn to your partner and say, “I understand that choice”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an exploration you can embark on today.
Together is streaming on the streaming service Hulu now.
