We present a challenge for long-term couples who enjoy horror films: Sit down with your loved one and view Together. This critically acclaimed 2025 movie recently had its online premiere via Hulu. Outwardly, it may seem like conventional physical horror, but inside Together resides a profound examination about the ways we decide to love our partners.
A Directorial Debut Investigating Partnership Complexities
Together is the first full-length movie for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It features Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Tim and Millie, an unmarried couple that have been together for over ten years. United in marriage in reality in 2017, the two stars infuse a unique chemistry to their portrayals, expertly portraying both the joys and frustrations of a enduring union.
The story begins when the couple transition from the big city to the rural area for Millie’s job. A somewhat stereotypical narrative setup, sure, but that’s largely where the cliches cease. Together becomes as much a psychological exploration of the partnership as it is a film about physical terror.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While hiking near their rural residence, a violent storm occurs, and the protagonists tumble into an hole in the earth. After spending the night there and finally finding a way out, a mysterious influence begins influencing the pair. This force compels a paranormal intimacy between them that goes exceeding typical partnership.
The whole movie is a gradually intensifying of scares, weaving in elements of fever-dream horrors, disturbing (but not excessively graphic) physical transformations, and authentically humorous interactions (sometimes during something grotesque). Michael Shanks skillfully blends these components expertly and presents them in a slowly mounting sense of impending doom.
Nuanced Portrayals
A large part of Together is solely Brie and Franco, and they masterfully render numerous complexities to the characters’ relationship. Millie’s confidence and sense of connection is deteriorating due to a distance. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his unwillingness to pursue anything but his floundering music career slowly bubbles to the surface.
In contrast, Tim's character feels trapped and isolated by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve moved to the country and distant from his social circle. He is terrified of the notion of totally forfeiting his individual identity in Millie. This fear is further exacerbated by the reality he can’t drive and relies on Millie for mobility.
The director's cleverest decision in this movie refrains from painting Tim or Millie the definite antagonist.
Both characters face the type of challenges that are inherent in most partnerships a decade in. Deep down, they continue to care for each other. They still laugh together, provide solace, and are vulnerable at times. But below this facade, there’s an unavoidable feeling of questioning about their future together.
Allegory and Meaning
While the supernatural forces in Together symbolize these concerns of excessive reliance and totally devoting oneself to another person, the metaphor never feels hamfisted or heavy-handed. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes provide a brilliant analogue to the relationship narrative. Both the horror and the drama enhance each other in a mutually beneficial way.
A Debated Finale
Together’s conclusion, which is best experienced firsthand, has left audiences divided on the movie's final takeaway about unhealthy partnerships. It has been said that single viewers have understood the narrative as a powerful case for avoiding commitment. Conversely, a few pairs experiencing tension found that the film actually helped them reconcile.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own reaction could function as a revealing measure of how you think about commitment. Will the finale plant feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you recognize your own traits in Tim or Millie and scream at your TV, or simply turn to your significant other and say, “I’d do that for you”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an experiment you can experience at this very moment.
Together is available to watch on Hulu's platform now.
