Consider this a test for partners in committed relationships who enjoy the horror genre: Settle in with your loved one and watch Together. The critically acclaimed 2025 movie recently had its launch on a streaming platform on Hulu. At first glance, it may seem like typical physical horror, but beneath Together lies a intense meditation about our choices in loving one another.
A Directorial Debut Delving into The Nuances of Love
Together marks the first full-length movie for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It stars Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Millie and Tim, a pair who are not married that have been together for over ten years. Married in reality in 2017, Franco and Brie infuse a unique chemistry to their portrayals, masterfully depicting both the strengths and weaknesses of a enduring union.
The plot begins when Millie and Tim relocate from the metropolis to the country for professional reasons. A familiar narrative setup, admittedly, but that’s primarily where the tropes conclude. Together evolves into as much a examination of mental states of the partnership as it is a movie featuring biological frights.
A Paranormal Spark
While hiking near their new home, a storm hits, and Millie and Tim fall into an hole in the earth. After spending the night there and eventually escaping, a mysterious influence takes hold of the couple. This force creates a otherworldly bond between them that goes well past typical partnership.
The entire film is a methodically building of scares, weaving in moments of hallucinatory nightmares, unsettling (but never too gross) biological grotesqueries, and genuinely funny exchanges (sometimes amidst something horrific). Shanks orchestrates these parts neatly and presents them in a consistently growing sense of impending doom.
Layered Performances
A large part of Together is solely Brie and Franco, and they masterfully render numerous complexities to the characters’ relationship. Her self-assurance and sense of connection is suffering due to a lack of intimacy. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his hesitance to chase only his struggling artistic pursuits slowly bubbles to the surface.
Conversely, Tim senses confinement and cut off by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve left the city and removed from his support system. He is terrified of the idea of totally forfeiting his sense of self in Millie. This fear is amplified by the circumstance he lacks a driver's license and needs Millie for getting around.
The film's most intelligent aspect in this movie never makes one partner or the other the definite antagonist.
The couple grapple with the kind of problems that come with any relationship a decade in. Fundamentally, they still love each other. They find humor with each other, offer support, and are vulnerable at times. But below this facade, there’s an persistent current of uncertainty about their bond.
Thematic Depth
While the otherworldly presence in Together represent these anxieties of excessive reliance and giving oneself over to another person, the symbolism never feels overly obvious or heavy-handed. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments offer a perfect parallel to the relationship narrative. Both the supernatural and the personal work together in harmony.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s final act, which is best experienced firsthand, has sparked debate on the story's concluding statement about unhealthy partnerships. It has been said that single viewers have interpreted the film as a powerful case for remaining unattached. Conversely, some couples having disagreements found that the film actually helped them reconcile.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own response could function as a telling indicator of how you view relationships. Will the conclusion plant anxiety and horror, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you see yourself in one of the characters and yell at the screen, or simply glance toward your significant other and utter, “We could get through that together”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an experiment you can undertake right now.
Together is available to watch on Hulu's platform now.
