We present a test for partners in committed relationships who enjoy scary movies: Sit down with your significant other and view Together. This critically acclaimed 2025 movie just made its streaming debut on Hulu. At first glance, it could look like conventional body horror, but inside Together exists a deep examination about our choices in loving one another.
A Directorial Debut Investigating The Nuances of Love
Together is the first full-length movie for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It stars the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Tim and Millie, an unmarried couple that have remained a couple for a decade. Having wed in actuality in 2017, Franco and Brie infuse a special spark to their portrayals, skillfully embodying both the strengths and weaknesses of a committed partnership.
The story starts when the couple relocate from the metropolis to the rural area for her career. A somewhat stereotypical plot device, of course, but that’s largely where the cliches cease. Together evolves into as much a psychological exploration of the pair’s relationship as it is a film about physical terror.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While walking near their country house, a violent storm occurs, and Millie and Tim tumble into an hole in the earth. After spending the night there and eventually escaping, a supernatural entity takes hold of the duo. This force creates a otherworldly bond between them that goes far beyond typical partnership.
The whole movie is a methodically building fright fest, blending moments of fever-dream horrors, gross (but never too gross) body horror, and genuinely funny exchanges (sometimes in the middle of something disturbing). Michael Shanks skillfully blends these components neatly and presents them in a slowly mounting sense of impending doom.
Complex Characterizations
A significant portion of Together is solely the two lead actors, and they skillfully illustrate manifold depths to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Her self-assurance and feeling of intimacy is suffering due to a emotional and physical gap. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his unwillingness to focus on anything other than his struggling artistic pursuits slowly bubbles to the surface.
In contrast, Tim's character senses confinement and isolated by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve left the city and far away from his support system. He dreads the notion of totally forfeiting his personal autonomy in Millie. This fear is intensified by the reality he lacks a driver's license and relies on Millie for mobility.
The director's cleverest decision is that he refrains from painting either of his characters the definite antagonist.
Both characters grapple with the sort of issues that arise in long-term unions after ten years. Fundamentally, they have affection for one another. They find humor with each other, offer support, and are vulnerable at times. But beneath it all, there’s an inescapable undercurrent of doubt about their bond.
Allegory and Meaning
While the paranormal elements in Together symbolize these anxieties of excessive reliance and totally devoting oneself to a partner, the symbolism never feels overly obvious or self-important. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes offer a perfect parallel to the character-driven drama. Both the horror and the drama work together in a mutually beneficial way.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s ending, which is best experienced firsthand, has created disagreement on the story's concluding statement about codependent relationships. Reports indicate that unattached audience members have seen the movie as a compelling reason for avoiding commitment. Conversely, some couples having disagreements found that the film actually helped them make up.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own interpretation could potentially serve as a great barometer of how you perceive partnership. Will the ending sow feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a positive outlook on love? Will you identify in Tim or Millie and scream at your TV, or simply look at your significant other and state, “We could get through that together”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an exploration you can undertake today.
Together is streaming on Hulu's platform now.
