Here's a dare for long-term couples who enjoy horror films: Sit down with your significant other and stream Together. The critically acclaimed 2025 movie has now made its online premiere on the Hulu service. Outwardly, it could look like typical physical horror, but inside Together resides a profound contemplation about the ways we decide to love our partners.
A Debut Feature Investigating The Nuances of Love
Together represents the debut feature-length film for director Michael Shanks. It showcases the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Millie and Tim, a pair who are not married that have remained a couple for a decade. Married in real life in 2017, the two stars bring a special spark to their roles, masterfully depicting both the good and bad of a enduring union.
The story starts when Millie and Tim move from the big city to the country for her career. A somewhat stereotypical plot device, of course, but that’s largely where the conventions cease. Together evolves into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the couple's dynamic as it is a movie featuring biological frights.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While hiking near their rural residence, a violent storm occurs, and the protagonists fall into an hole in the earth. After being trapped overnight there and managing to escape, a strange force begins influencing the pair. This force compels a supernatural closeness between them that goes well past emotional intimacy.
The complete narrative is a methodically building fright fest, blending bits of fever-dream horrors, unsettling (but not excessively graphic) physical transformations, and surprisingly comedic interactions (sometimes in the middle of something horrific). Michael Shanks skillfully blends these components neatly and presents them in a gradually swelling atmosphere of fear.
Layered Performances
A significant portion of Together is only the two lead actors, and they deftly portray countless layers to the characters’ relationship. Her self-assurance and feeling of intimacy is waning due to a emotional and physical gap. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his unwillingness to chase only his struggling artistic pursuits slowly bubbles to the surface.
Conversely, Tim experiences isolation and cut off by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve relocated rural and distant from his support system. He is terrified of the notion of utterly sacrificing his sense of self in Millie. This fear is intensified by the circumstance he can’t drive and relies on Millie for transportation.
The director's cleverest decision in this movie never makes one partner or the other the definite antagonist.
Tim and Millie face the sort of issues that arise in any relationship a decade in. At their core, they still love each other. They find humor with each other, provide solace, and are vulnerable at times. But beneath it all, there’s an persistent feeling of questioning about their relationship.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the paranormal elements in Together act as a metaphor for these fears of excessive reliance and fully committing to another person, the metaphor avoids being hamfisted or heavy-handed. Instead, these visceral horror elements provide a ideal counterpart to the character-driven drama. Both the horror and the drama work together in a mutually beneficial way.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s final act, which is best experienced firsthand, has created disagreement on the film’s ultimate message about unhealthy partnerships. Reports indicate that unattached audience members have seen the movie as a powerful case for staying single. Meanwhile, a few pairs who were in conflict found that the film actually helped them reconcile.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own response could potentially serve as a telling indicator of how you view relationships. Will the ending sow feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a positive outlook on love? Will you identify in Tim or Millie and yell at the screen, or simply glance toward your partner and utter, “We could get through that together”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an experiment you can embark on right now.
Together is currently playing on Hulu at present.
