We present a test for those in enduring partnerships who enjoy scary movies: Settle in with your loved one and view Together. This independent film success of 2025 has now made its online premiere on Hulu. At first glance, it might appear like conventional biological terror, but beneath Together lies a deep examination about how we choose to love our partners.
An Introductory Film Exploring Relationship Dynamics
Together marks the introductory feature for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It stars actors Alison Brie and Dave Franco as Millie and Tim, an unmarried couple that have remained a couple for over ten years. Married in actuality in 2017, Franco and Brie bring a particular energy to their portrayals, masterfully depicting both the good and bad of a committed partnership.
The story commences when the couple transition from the urban environment to the country for Millie’s job. A somewhat stereotypical plot device, of course, but that’s mostly where the cliches end. Together evolves into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the couple's dynamic as it is a film about physical terror.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While trekking near their new home, a tempest descends, and the protagonists tumble into an subterranean cavern. After spending the night there and finally finding a way out, a mysterious influence takes hold of the pair. This force induces a paranormal intimacy between them that goes exceeding emotional intimacy.
The entire film is a slow burn of scares, interspersing moments of hallucinatory nightmares, disturbing (but not excessively graphic) physical transformations, and surprisingly comedic dialogue (sometimes during something grotesque). Shanks weaves these elements together neatly and delivers them in a gradually swelling aura of dread.
Complex Characterizations
A great deal of Together is exclusively the two lead actors, and they skillfully illustrate numerous complexities to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Her self-assurance and sense of connection is deteriorating due to a lack of intimacy. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his hesitance to focus on anything other than his floundering music career slowly bubbles to the surface.
Conversely, Tim feels trapped and isolated by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve relocated rural and removed from his social circle. He is terrified of the notion of totally forfeiting his personal autonomy in Millie. This fear is intensified by the circumstance he lacks a driver's license and needs Millie for mobility.
Shanks’ smartest move in this movie never makes Tim or Millie the obvious villain.
The couple grapple with the sort of issues that come with long-term unions over a long period. Fundamentally, they still love each other. They still laugh together, offer support, and share intimately at times. But below this facade, there’s an persistent current of uncertainty about their future together.
Allegory and Meaning
While the paranormal elements in Together represent these concerns of unhealthy attachment and fully committing to another person, the symbolism avoids being hamfisted or self-important. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes offer a ideal counterpart to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the supernatural and the personal enhance each other symbiotically.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s ending, which is best experienced firsthand, has created disagreement on the movie's final takeaway about enmeshed dynamics. Reports indicate that those not in relationships have understood the narrative as a powerful case for avoiding commitment. On the other hand, certain partners experiencing tension found that the film ended up guiding them to reconcile.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own interpretation could act as a revealing measure of how you view relationships. Will the ending inspire a sense of discomfort and fear, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you see yourself in one of the characters and yell at the screen, or simply glance toward your other half and utter, “We could get through that together”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an test you can undertake at this very moment.
Together is available to watch on the streaming service Hulu at present.
