Consider this a dare for long-term couples who appreciate scary movies: Sit down with your loved one and stream Together. The independent film success of 2025 recently had its streaming debut via Hulu. At first glance, it may seem like conventional body horror, but inside Together lies a profound contemplation about how we choose to love one another.
A Debut Feature Delving into Relationship Dynamics
Together is the introductory feature for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It features actors Alison Brie and Dave Franco as a couple named Tim and Millie, an unmarried couple that have stayed together for over ten years. Married in reality in 2017, the actors contribute a particular energy to their roles, expertly portraying both the good and bad of a enduring union.
The story begins when Millie and Tim transition from the urban environment to the countryside for professional reasons. A somewhat stereotypical story element, sure, but that’s primarily where the conventions conclude. Together becomes as much a deep dive into the psyche of the pair’s relationship as it is a movie featuring biological frights.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While hiking near their country house, a violent storm occurs, and the protagonists fall into an hole in the earth. After spending the night there and finally finding a way out, a supernatural entity takes hold of the couple. This force induces a otherworldly bond between them that goes exceeding simple connection.
The complete narrative is a slow burn of scares, blending moments of hallucinatory nightmares, unsettling (but tastefully done) biological grotesqueries, and surprisingly comedic dialogue (sometimes in the middle of something grotesque). Shanks orchestrates these parts neatly and wraps them up in a gradually swelling sense of impending doom.
Layered Performances
A great deal of Together is solely the performances of its stars, and they masterfully render manifold depths to the characters’ relationship. Millie's sense of self and sense of connection is deteriorating due to a lack of intimacy. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his reluctance to pursue anything but his struggling artistic pursuits slowly bubbles to the surface.
Conversely, Tim experiences isolation and cut off by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve left the city and distant from his network of friends. He dreads the idea of totally forfeiting his individual identity in his partner. This fear is amplified by the circumstance he can’t drive and is dependent on Millie for mobility.
The film's most intelligent aspect in Together never makes Tim or Millie the obvious villain.
Both characters confront the sort of issues that arise in long-term unions a decade in. Deep down, they still love one another. They share moments of joy, comfort one another, and open up at times. But under the surface, there’s an unavoidable feeling of questioning about their relationship.
Thematic Depth
While the paranormal elements in Together represent these fears of excessive reliance and giving oneself over to a partner, the symbolism never feels overly obvious or self-important. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments offer a perfect parallel to the character-driven drama. Both the supernatural and the personal enhance each other symbiotically.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s conclusion, which won’t be spoiled here, has sparked debate on the story's concluding statement about codependent relationships. Accounts suggest that unattached audience members have understood the narrative as a strong argument for staying single. Conversely, some couples who were in conflict found that the film actually helped them resolve their issues.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own reaction could act as a revealing measure of how you view relationships. Will the finale plant feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you identify in either protagonist and yell at the screen, or simply look at your partner and state, “I’d do that for you”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an exploration you can embark on today.
Together is currently playing on Hulu as of this moment.
