Consider this a dare for partners in committed relationships who are fans of scary movies: Settle in with your significant other and stream Together. This critically acclaimed 2025 movie has now made its launch on a streaming platform on the Hulu service. At first glance, it might appear like conventional physical horror, but inside Together lies a profound examination about our choices in loving each other.
An Introductory Film Delving into Partnership Complexities
Together marks the first full-length movie for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It showcases Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Tim and Millie, a pair who are not married that have stayed together for ten years. Married in reality in 2017, the two stars infuse a unique chemistry to their characters, masterfully depicting both the strengths and weaknesses of a long-term relationship.
The narrative commences when Tim and Millie move from the metropolis to the rural area for Millie’s job. A commonly used plot device, sure, but that’s largely where the conventions cease. Together evolves into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the partnership as it is a film about physical terror.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While trekking near their country house, a violent storm occurs, and the two tumble into an hole in the earth. After being trapped overnight there and eventually escaping, a strange force begins influencing the duo. This force compels a supernatural closeness between them that goes exceeding typical partnership.
The entire film is a methodically building horror experience, blending bits of dreamlike terrors, disturbing (but never too gross) physical transformations, and authentically humorous dialogue (sometimes in the middle of something disturbing). The director skillfully blends these components seamlessly and wraps them up in a gradually swelling aura of dread.
Nuanced Portrayals
A great deal of Together is only Brie and Franco, and they skillfully illustrate manifold depths to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Millie's sense of self and emotional bond is suffering due to a lack of intimacy. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his reluctance to chase only his failing musical ambitions slowly bubbles to the surface.
In contrast, Tim's character feels trapped and separated by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve left the city and removed from his support system. He fears the idea of utterly sacrificing his individual identity in another person. This fear is amplified by the fact he lacks a driver's license and needs Millie for transportation.
The director's cleverest decision is that he avoids making one partner or the other the obvious villain.
Both characters confront the type of challenges that are inherent in long-term unions over a long period. Deep down, they still love one another. They still laugh together, provide solace, and open up at times. But below this facade, there’s an inescapable feeling of questioning about their bond.
Thematic Depth
While the otherworldly presence in Together act as a metaphor for these concerns of codependency and totally devoting oneself to another person, the allegory does not come across as overly obvious or self-important. Instead, these visceral horror elements present a brilliant analogue to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the frights and the fights serve the other in a mutually beneficial way.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s ending, which won’t be spoiled here, has sparked debate on the story's concluding statement about unhealthy partnerships. Accounts suggest that single viewers have seen the movie as a strong argument for staying single. Meanwhile, some couples who were in conflict found that the film ended up guiding them to reconcile.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own response could act as a revealing measure of how you view relationships. Will the ending plant anxiety and horror, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you recognize your own traits in one of the characters and feel frustration, or simply glance toward your partner and utter, “We could get through that together”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an test you can undertake right now.
Together is streaming on Hulu at present.
