Here's a dare for those in enduring partnerships who are fans of scary movies: Settle in with your loved one and watch Together. This critically acclaimed 2025 movie has now made its online premiere on the Hulu service. On the surface, it might appear like typical body horror, but inside Together exists a profound contemplation about the ways we decide to love our partners.
An Introductory Film Exploring Partnership Complexities
Together is the first full-length movie for director Michael Shanks. It features the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Tim and Millie, an unmarried couple that have been together for over ten years. Married in actuality in 2017, the two stars infuse a special spark to their portrayals, masterfully depicting both the strengths and weaknesses of a long-term relationship.
The plot starts when the couple relocate from the metropolis to the countryside for professional reasons. A somewhat stereotypical plot device, admittedly, but that’s largely where the tropes cease. Together becomes as much a psychological exploration of the partnership as it is a film about physical terror.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While trekking near their new home, a violent storm occurs, and Millie and Tim fall into an underground cave. After being trapped overnight there and managing to escape, a mysterious influence starts to affect the couple. This force compels a paranormal intimacy between them that goes well past emotional intimacy.
The whole movie is a gradually intensifying of scares, interspersing moments of dreamlike terrors, unsettling (but tastefully done) body horror, and genuinely funny interactions (sometimes in the middle of something disturbing). Shanks skillfully blends these components seamlessly and presents them in a slowly mounting sense of impending doom.
Nuanced Portrayals
A large part of Together is solely the performances of its stars, and they deftly portray manifold depths to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Her self-assurance and sense of connection is deteriorating due to a lack of intimacy. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his hesitance to pursue anything but his struggling artistic pursuits gradually emerges.
In contrast, Tim's character experiences isolation and isolated by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve moved to the country and removed from his support system. He is terrified of the idea of completely losing his sense of self in another person. This fear is intensified by the circumstance he lacks a driver's license and needs Millie for getting around.
The director's cleverest decision in this movie avoids making Tim or Millie the definite antagonist.
Tim and Millie confront the type of challenges that are inherent in any relationship over a long period. At their core, they continue to care for each other. They still laugh together, provide solace, and open up at times. But under the surface, there’s an inescapable feeling of questioning about their bond.
Thematic Depth
While the otherworldly presence in Together represent these concerns of unhealthy attachment and fully committing to another person, the allegory never feels hamfisted or pretentious. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments provide a brilliant analogue to the character-driven drama. Both the horror and the drama serve the other in harmony.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s ending, which is best experienced firsthand, has sparked debate on the movie's final takeaway about unhealthy partnerships. Reports indicate that single viewers have understood the narrative as a powerful case for remaining unattached. Conversely, some couples having disagreements found that the film actually helped them make up.
Whether you’re single or coupled up, your own response could act as a great barometer of how you perceive partnership. Will the finale inspire anxiety and horror, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you recognize your own traits in either protagonist and scream at your TV, or simply glance toward your partner and utter, “I understand that choice”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an experiment you can embark on right now.
Together is streaming on Hulu's platform at present.
