Consider this a challenge for long-term couples who appreciate scary movies: Sit down with your significant other and watch Together. This independent film success of 2025 recently had its streaming debut on the Hulu service. At first glance, it might appear like conventional body horror, but beneath Together exists a deep contemplation about our choices in loving one another.
A Directorial Debut Exploring Partnership Complexities
Together is the first full-length movie for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It showcases the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Millie and Tim, partners that have stayed together for over ten years. United in marriage in actuality in 2017, Franco and Brie contribute a particular energy to their roles, skillfully embodying both the good and bad of a enduring union.
The plot begins when Tim and Millie move from the big city to the countryside for Millie’s job. A commonly used story element, of course, but that’s mostly where the tropes cease. Together evolves into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the couple's dynamic as it is a film about physical terror.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While trekking near their rural residence, a violent storm occurs, and the protagonists tumble into an underground cave. After being trapped overnight there and managing to escape, a strange force begins influencing the pair. This force creates a paranormal intimacy between them that goes well past typical partnership.
The complete narrative is a methodically building fright fest, weaving in elements of hallucinatory nightmares, gross (but tastefully done) physical transformations, and genuinely funny exchanges (sometimes amidst something grotesque). Shanks skillfully blends these components neatly and delivers them in a slowly mounting aura of dread.
Complex Characterizations
A great deal of Together is exclusively Brie and Franco, and they deftly portray numerous complexities to the characters’ relationship. Her self-assurance and emotional bond is waning due to a distance. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his unwillingness to focus on anything other than his struggling artistic pursuits gradually emerges.
Tim, on the other hand experiences isolation and cut off by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve relocated rural and removed from his social circle. He fears the concept of totally forfeiting his sense of self in another person. This fear is intensified by the reality he lacks a driver's license and is dependent on Millie for transportation.
The director's cleverest decision in this movie never makes either of his characters the definite antagonist.
Both characters grapple with the sort of issues that are inherent in long-term unions over a long period. At their core, they continue to care for one another. They find humor with each other, offer support, and open up at times. But beneath it all, there’s an inescapable feeling of questioning about their future together.
Thematic Depth
While the otherworldly presence in Together act as a metaphor for these anxieties of codependency and giving oneself over to another person, the allegory never feels overly obvious or pretentious. Instead, these visceral horror elements present a brilliant analogue to the relationship narrative. Both the horror and the drama work together in harmony.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s final act, which is best experienced firsthand, has left audiences divided on the movie's final takeaway about unhealthy partnerships. Reports indicate that those not in relationships have seen the movie as a strong argument for avoiding commitment. 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 act as a telling indicator of how you view relationships. Will the conclusion sow a sense of discomfort and fear, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you recognize your own traits in either protagonist and scream at your TV, or simply glance toward your significant other and utter, “I understand that choice”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an exploration you can embark on today.
Together is currently playing on the streaming service Hulu at present.
