We present a challenge for long-term couples who appreciate scary movies: Settle in with your significant other and stream Together. The independent film success of 2025 just made its online premiere via Hulu. Outwardly, it might appear like typical biological terror, but beneath Together exists a profound meditation about our choices in loving one another.
A Directorial Debut Exploring The Nuances of Love
Together represents the first full-length movie for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It showcases actors Alison Brie and Dave Franco as Tim and Millie, an unmarried couple that have been together for a decade. Having wed in real life in 2017, the two stars infuse a unique chemistry to their roles, skillfully embodying both the joys and frustrations of a long-term relationship.
The story starts when the couple relocate from the big city to the country for professional reasons. A familiar narrative setup, sure, but that’s largely where the cliches end. Together transforms into as much a examination of mental states of the couple's dynamic as it is a movie featuring biological frights.
A Paranormal Spark
While trekking near their rural residence, a storm hits, and Millie and Tim discover an underground cave. After being trapped overnight there and finally finding a way out, a strange force takes hold of the duo. This force compels a paranormal intimacy between them that goes exceeding emotional intimacy.
The complete narrative is a gradually intensifying horror experience, interspersing moments of dreamlike terrors, gross (but never too gross) biological grotesqueries, and genuinely funny exchanges (sometimes in the middle of something disturbing). Michael Shanks orchestrates these parts neatly and presents them in a consistently growing atmosphere of fear.
Nuanced Portrayals
A great deal of Together is solely Brie and Franco, and they skillfully illustrate manifold depths to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Her self-assurance and feeling of intimacy is suffering due to a lack of intimacy. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his unwillingness to focus on anything other than his struggling artistic pursuits inexorably rises.
In contrast, Tim's character feels trapped and cut off by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve left the city and removed from his support system. He fears the idea of utterly sacrificing his sense of self in Millie. This fear is further exacerbated by the fact he lacks a driver's license and needs Millie for transportation.
Shanks’ smartest move in Together refrains from painting Tim or Millie the obvious villain.
The couple face the sort of issues that come with long-term unions over a long period. Deep down, 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 inescapable undercurrent of doubt about their future together.
Thematic Depth
While the supernatural forces in Together represent these concerns of unhealthy attachment and totally devoting oneself to a partner, the allegory does not come across as hamfisted or heavy-handed. Instead, these visceral horror elements provide a perfect parallel to the character-driven drama. Both the frights and the fights work together in harmony.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s final act, which is best experienced firsthand, has sparked debate on the movie's final takeaway about unhealthy partnerships. Reports indicate that those not in relationships have interpreted the film as a powerful case for staying single. Meanwhile, a few pairs who were in conflict found that the film actually helped them make up.
Whether you’re single or coupled up, your own reaction could function as a great barometer of how you view relationships. 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 look at your other half and state, “I understand that choice”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an test you can undertake right now.
Together is available to watch on the streaming service Hulu at present.
