Consider this a dare for partners in committed relationships who appreciate scary movies: Settle in with your partner and view Together. The independent film success of 2025 has now made its streaming debut on the Hulu service. On the surface, it may seem like conventional biological terror, but within Together resides a profound contemplation about our choices in loving each other.
A Debut Feature Investigating Relationship Dynamics
Together is the introductory feature for director Michael Shanks. It features actors Alison Brie and Dave Franco as Millie and Tim, an unmarried couple that have remained a couple for a decade. United in marriage in actuality in 2017, the two stars bring a unique chemistry to their roles, expertly portraying both the good and bad of a committed partnership.
The narrative begins when Tim and Millie move from the urban environment to the country for Millie’s job. A commonly used narrative setup, sure, but that’s primarily where the conventions end. Together evolves into as much a examination of mental states of the pair’s relationship as it is a body horror flick.
A Paranormal Spark
While trekking near their new home, a storm hits, and the protagonists fall into an underground cave. After being trapped overnight there and eventually escaping, a strange force starts to affect the duo. This force induces a supernatural closeness between them that goes well past emotional intimacy.
The entire film is a gradually intensifying of scares, interspersing moments of hallucinatory nightmares, gross (but not excessively graphic) biological grotesqueries, and surprisingly comedic dialogue (sometimes in the middle of something horrific). The director skillfully blends these components neatly and presents them in a slowly mounting sense of impending doom.
Nuanced Portrayals
A great deal of Together is solely the two lead actors, and they skillfully illustrate countless layers to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Millie's sense of self and emotional bond is waning due to a lack of intimacy. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his hesitance to focus on anything other than his floundering music career slowly bubbles to the surface.
In contrast, Tim's character senses confinement and separated by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve left the city and distant from his support system. He is terrified of the notion of totally forfeiting his individual identity in Millie. This fear is amplified by the circumstance he can’t drive and relies on Millie for mobility.
The film's most intelligent aspect in Together avoids making Tim or Millie the definite antagonist.
The couple face the sort of issues that are inherent in long-term unions over a long period. At their core, they still love each other. They still laugh together, comfort one another, and open up at times. But below this facade, there’s an inescapable undercurrent of doubt about their future together.
Allegory and Meaning
While the supernatural forces in Together act as a metaphor for these fears of unhealthy attachment and fully committing to another person, the symbolism avoids being hamfisted or pretentious. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments present a perfect parallel to the relationship narrative. Both the supernatural and the personal enhance each other symbiotically.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s ending, which is best experienced firsthand, has sparked debate on the film’s ultimate message about unhealthy partnerships. It has been said that unattached audience members have interpreted the film as a compelling reason for staying single. Conversely, a few pairs experiencing tension found that the film actually helped them reconcile.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own interpretation could potentially serve as a revealing measure of how you perceive partnership. Will the ending inspire anxiety and horror, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you recognize your own traits in one of the characters and yell at the screen, or simply glance toward your significant other and state, “We could get through that together”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an experiment you can experience at this very moment.
Together is available to watch on Hulu's platform as of this moment.