Here's a test for long-term couples who are fans of scary movies: Get comfortable with your partner and view Together. This 2025 indie hit recently had its online premiere on the Hulu service. Outwardly, it could look like standard physical horror, but beneath Together lies a profound examination about the ways we decide to love our partners.
An Introductory Film Investigating Relationship Dynamics
Together represents the introductory feature for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It features the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Tim and Millie, an unmarried couple that have been together for ten years. United in marriage in actuality in 2017, the actors contribute a special spark to their portrayals, masterfully depicting both the good and bad of a committed partnership.
The story begins when Millie and Tim move from the metropolis to the countryside for Millie’s job. A commonly used narrative setup, of course, but that’s mostly where the cliches end. Together evolves into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the pair’s relationship as it is a film about physical terror.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While walking near their rural residence, a tempest descends, and Millie and Tim tumble into an hole in the earth. After being trapped overnight there and finally finding a way out, a supernatural entity takes hold of the pair. This force compels a otherworldly bond between them that goes exceeding typical partnership.
The complete narrative is a methodically building horror experience, interspersing elements of hallucinatory nightmares, disturbing (but never too gross) body horror, and genuinely funny interactions (sometimes during something disturbing). Michael Shanks weaves these elements together seamlessly and presents them in a slowly mounting aura of dread.
Layered Performances
A significant portion of Together is solely the two lead actors, and they skillfully illustrate numerous complexities to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Millie's sense of self and sense of connection is deteriorating due to a emotional and physical gap. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his hesitance to focus on anything other than his struggling artistic pursuits slowly bubbles to the surface.
Tim, on the other hand experiences isolation and separated by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve moved to the country and distant from his network of friends. He is terrified of the notion of totally forfeiting his personal autonomy in his partner. This fear is amplified by the fact he does not operate a vehicle and is dependent on Millie for transportation.
Shanks’ smartest move in Together avoids making Tim or Millie the clear bad guy.
Tim and Millie grapple with the kind of problems that are inherent in most partnerships after ten years. At their core, they have affection for each other. They find humor with each other, comfort one another, and are vulnerable at times. But under the surface, there’s an unavoidable current of uncertainty about their relationship.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the supernatural forces in Together act as a metaphor for these concerns of excessive reliance and totally devoting oneself to another person, the metaphor does not come across as hamfisted or heavy-handed. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments present a perfect parallel to the character-driven drama. Both the frights and the fights enhance each other in harmony.
A Debated Finale
Together’s ending, which remains unspoiled, has left audiences divided on the film’s ultimate message about enmeshed dynamics. Accounts suggest that those not in relationships have interpreted the film as a compelling reason for avoiding commitment. Conversely, certain partners who were in conflict found that the film ended up guiding them to make up.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own reaction could act as a revealing measure of how you think about commitment. Will the conclusion inspire anxiety and horror, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you see yourself in Tim or Millie and feel frustration, or simply turn to your partner and say, “We could get through that together”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an test you can undertake right now.
Together is currently playing on Hulu as of this moment.
