Here's a test for long-term couples who appreciate scary movies: Get comfortable with your loved one and stream Together. The critically acclaimed 2025 movie just made its launch on a streaming platform via Hulu. Outwardly, it could look like conventional physical horror, but inside Together lies a deep meditation about our choices in loving our partners.
A Directorial Debut Investigating Relationship Dynamics
Together is the debut feature-length film for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It stars the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Tim and Millie, partners that have stayed together for a decade. Having wed in reality in 2017, Franco and Brie bring a unique chemistry to their characters, masterfully depicting both the good and bad of a enduring union.
The story starts when Tim and Millie move from the metropolis to the rural area for professional reasons. A commonly used plot device, sure, but that’s mostly where the conventions end. Together transforms into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the partnership as it is a film about physical terror.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While walking near their new home, a violent storm occurs, and the protagonists discover an subterranean cavern. After spending the night there and eventually escaping, a strange force takes hold of the pair. This force induces a otherworldly bond between them that goes far beyond typical partnership.
The complete narrative is a slow burn horror experience, weaving in moments of hallucinatory nightmares, gross (but tastefully done) body horror, and surprisingly comedic interactions (sometimes in the middle of something horrific). The director skillfully blends these components seamlessly and wraps them up in a slowly mounting atmosphere of fear.
Nuanced Portrayals
A large part of Together is only the two lead actors, and they masterfully render numerous complexities to the characters’ relationship. Millie's sense of self and feeling of intimacy is suffering due to a distance. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his hesitance to focus on anything other than his struggling artistic pursuits gradually emerges.
Tim, on the other hand senses confinement and separated by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve left the city and removed from his network of friends. He dreads the notion of totally forfeiting his sense of self in his partner. This fear is further exacerbated by the reality he does not operate a vehicle and needs Millie for transportation.
The director's cleverest decision in Together avoids making either of his characters the definite antagonist.
The couple confront the kind of problems that come with most partnerships after ten years. Deep down, they have affection for one another. They find humor with each other, comfort one another, and are vulnerable at times. But beneath it all, there’s an unavoidable feeling of questioning about their bond.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the paranormal elements in Together symbolize these concerns of codependency and totally devoting oneself to a partner, the allegory does not come across as clumsy or heavy-handed. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments offer a brilliant analogue to the character-driven drama. Both the horror and the drama work together symbiotically.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s final act, which remains unspoiled, has created disagreement on the film’s ultimate message about codependent relationships. It has been said that those not in relationships have understood the narrative as a strong argument for staying single. Meanwhile, a few pairs experiencing tension found that the film ended up guiding them to resolve their issues.
Whether you’re single or coupled up, your own interpretation could potentially serve as a telling indicator of how you think about commitment. Will the finale sow anxiety and horror, 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 state, “I understand that choice”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an exploration you can embark on today.
Together is currently playing on Hulu's platform now.
