Consider this a test for long-term couples who appreciate the horror genre: Sit down with your significant other and watch Together. This 2025 indie hit just made its online premiere on Hulu. On the surface, it could look like standard biological terror, but inside Together resides a profound examination about how we choose to love one another.
An Introductory Film Delving into The Nuances of Love
Together represents the first full-length movie for director Michael Shanks. It showcases the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Millie and Tim, an unmarried couple that have remained a couple for a decade. Married in real life in 2017, the two stars infuse a particular energy to their characters, expertly portraying both the good and bad of a enduring union.
The story begins when the couple move from the big city to the countryside for Millie’s job. A somewhat stereotypical narrative setup, of course, but that’s largely where the conventions end. Together becomes as much a deep dive into the psyche of the partnership as it is a movie featuring biological frights.
A Paranormal Spark
While walking near their rural residence, a storm hits, and the two tumble into an subterranean cavern. After a night spent there and managing to escape, a supernatural entity takes hold of the duo. This force compels a otherworldly bond between them that goes well past simple connection.
The whole movie is a gradually intensifying horror experience, interspersing bits of hallucinatory nightmares, unsettling (but never too gross) biological grotesqueries, and genuinely funny interactions (sometimes during something disturbing). The director skillfully blends these components expertly and delivers them in a gradually swelling aura of dread.
Layered Performances
A great deal of Together is solely the two lead actors, and they deftly portray numerous complexities to the characters’ relationship. Millie’s confidence and feeling of intimacy is deteriorating due to a distance. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his hesitance to pursue anything but his struggling artistic pursuits gradually emerges.
Tim, on the other hand senses confinement and separated by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve moved to the country and far away from his support system. He dreads the idea of totally forfeiting his individual identity in his partner. This fear is further exacerbated by the circumstance he lacks a driver's license and is dependent on Millie for mobility.
The director's cleverest decision in this movie never makes one partner or the other the definite antagonist.
The couple confront the type of challenges that arise in long-term unions a decade in. Fundamentally, they have affection for each other. They find humor with each other, provide solace, and are vulnerable at times. But beneath it all, there’s an inescapable undercurrent of doubt about their bond.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the paranormal elements in Together represent these anxieties of unhealthy attachment and giving oneself over to a partner, the metaphor avoids being overly obvious or self-important. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments provide a brilliant analogue to the relationship narrative. Both the frights and the fights enhance each other in harmony.
A Debated Finale
Together’s ending, which won’t be spoiled here, has left audiences divided on the story's concluding statement about codependent relationships. Accounts suggest that single viewers have interpreted the film as a strong argument for avoiding commitment. Conversely, some couples having disagreements found that the film ultimately assisted them resolve their issues.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own interpretation could potentially serve as a revealing measure of how you perceive partnership. Will the finale sow feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a positive outlook on love? Will you identify in Tim or Millie and feel frustration, or simply glance toward your partner and say, “We could get through that together”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an experiment you can experience today.
Together is streaming on the streaming service Hulu now.
