Consider this a challenge for those in enduring partnerships who are fans of scary movies: Settle in with your loved one and view Together. The independent film success of 2025 has now made its online premiere on the Hulu service. Outwardly, it could look like standard biological terror, but beneath Together resides a deep examination about the ways we decide to love each other.
An Introductory Film Delving into The Nuances of Love
Together is the debut feature-length film for director Michael Shanks. It features Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Tim and Millie, an unmarried couple that have remained a couple for ten years. Having wed in reality in 2017, Franco and Brie infuse a particular energy to their roles, expertly portraying both the strengths and weaknesses of a enduring union.
The story commences when Millie and Tim move from the metropolis to the rural area for Millie’s job. A familiar story element, admittedly, but that’s mostly where the cliches conclude. Together becomes as much a examination of mental states of the couple's dynamic as it is a body horror flick.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While walking near their rural residence, a storm hits, and the protagonists tumble into an subterranean cavern. After a night spent there and managing to escape, a mysterious influence takes hold of the pair. This force induces a supernatural closeness between them that goes far beyond typical partnership.
The entire film is a slow burn of scares, weaving in elements of dreamlike terrors, unsettling (but never too gross) physical transformations, and authentically humorous interactions (sometimes during something disturbing). Shanks weaves these elements together neatly and delivers them in a gradually swelling aura of dread.
Nuanced Portrayals
A significant portion of Together is only the performances of its stars, and they deftly portray numerous complexities to the partnership at the film's core. Millie’s confidence and emotional bond is deteriorating due to a emotional and physical gap. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his unwillingness to focus on anything other than his struggling artistic pursuits inexorably rises.
In contrast, Tim's character experiences isolation and cut off by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve relocated rural and removed from his social circle. He fears the notion of utterly sacrificing his sense of self in his partner. This fear is intensified by the fact he does not operate a vehicle and is dependent on Millie for mobility.
The film's most intelligent aspect in this movie avoids making one partner or the other the clear bad guy.
The couple face the type of challenges that come with most partnerships over a long period. At their core, they still love each other. They find humor with each other, comfort one another, and open up at times. But under the surface, there’s an unavoidable undercurrent of doubt about their bond.
Allegory and Meaning
While the otherworldly presence in Together symbolize these anxieties of unhealthy attachment and giving oneself over to another person, the allegory does not come across as overly obvious 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 harmony.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s ending, which won’t be spoiled here, has sparked debate on the story's concluding statement about unhealthy partnerships. It has been said that those not in relationships have interpreted the film as a compelling reason for avoiding commitment. On the other hand, a few pairs having disagreements found that the film actually helped them make up.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own response could act as a revealing measure of how you think about commitment. Will the ending plant anxiety and horror, or a positive outlook on love? Will you recognize your own traits in Tim or Millie and feel frustration, or simply glance toward your other half and state, “I understand that choice”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an experiment you can undertake today.
Together is available to watch on the streaming service Hulu at present.
