Consider this a test for long-term couples who are fans of scary movies: Sit down with your loved one and watch Together. The 2025 indie hit has now made its streaming debut via Hulu. At first glance, it might appear like standard biological terror, but beneath Together exists a deep meditation about how we choose to love our partners.
A Directorial Debut Investigating Partnership Complexities
Together represents the introductory feature for director Michael Shanks. It features the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Tim and Millie, partners that have been together for a decade. Having wed in real life in 2017, Franco and Brie contribute a particular energy to their characters, expertly portraying both the strengths and weaknesses of a committed partnership.
The narrative starts when the couple relocate from the big city to the rural area for Millie’s job. A familiar story element, sure, but that’s mostly where the cliches cease. Together becomes as much a psychological exploration of the pair’s relationship as it is a movie featuring biological frights.
A Paranormal Spark
While trekking near their country house, a tempest descends, and the protagonists fall into an hole in the earth. After spending the night there and finally finding a way out, a supernatural entity starts to affect the pair. This force creates a supernatural closeness between them that goes well past simple connection.
The whole movie is a slow burn horror experience, interspersing bits of hallucinatory nightmares, disturbing (but tastefully done) physical transformations, and authentically humorous dialogue (sometimes in the middle of something horrific). Michael Shanks orchestrates these parts neatly and wraps them up in a gradually swelling sense of impending doom.
Layered Performances
A large part of Together is solely Brie and Franco, and they deftly portray manifold depths to the characters’ relationship. Millie’s confidence and emotional bond 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.
In contrast, Tim's character feels trapped and separated by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve relocated rural and removed from his social circle. He dreads the concept of totally forfeiting his personal autonomy in another person. This fear is intensified by the reality he does not operate a vehicle and relies on Millie for transportation.
The director's cleverest decision in this movie avoids making one partner or the other the obvious villain.
Both characters confront the kind of problems that come with any relationship after ten years. At their core, they still love one another. They still laugh together, comfort one another, and are vulnerable at times. But under the surface, there’s an unavoidable undercurrent of doubt about their bond.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the otherworldly presence in Together act as a metaphor for these fears of excessive reliance and giving oneself over to another person, the symbolism never feels clumsy or pretentious. Instead, these visceral horror elements offer a ideal counterpart to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the frights and the fights serve the other in a mutually beneficial way.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s conclusion, which is best experienced firsthand, has sparked debate on the movie's final takeaway about codependent relationships. Accounts suggest that those not in relationships have interpreted the film as a strong argument for avoiding commitment. Meanwhile, certain partners who were in conflict found that the film ended up guiding them to resolve their issues.
Whether you’re single or coupled up, your own response could potentially serve as a revealing measure of how you think about commitment. Will the conclusion plant feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a positive outlook on love? Will you recognize your own traits in Tim or Millie and feel frustration, or simply look at your partner and say, “I’d do that for you”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an exploration you can experience right now.
Together is streaming on Hulu as of this moment.
