Here's a challenge for long-term couples who appreciate the horror genre: Settle in with your significant other and stream Together. The 2025 indie hit has now made its launch on a streaming platform via Hulu. On the surface, it might appear like typical biological terror, but beneath Together exists a profound contemplation about how we choose to love our partners.
A Directorial Debut Exploring Relationship Dynamics
Together is the first full-length movie for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It features actors Alison Brie and Dave Franco as a couple named Tim and Millie, a pair who are not married that have been together for a decade. Having wed in reality in 2017, Franco and Brie infuse a unique chemistry to their characters, skillfully embodying both the joys and frustrations of a committed partnership.
The story begins when Tim and Millie move from the urban environment to the rural area for Millie’s job. A somewhat stereotypical story element, of course, but that’s largely where the conventions end. Together becomes as much a deep dive into the psyche of the couple's dynamic as it is a movie featuring biological frights.
A Paranormal Spark
While trekking near their rural residence, a violent storm occurs, and the protagonists fall into an hole in the earth. After spending the night there and finally finding a way out, a supernatural entity starts to affect the duo. This force compels a otherworldly bond between them that goes exceeding typical partnership.
The entire film is a methodically building fright fest, blending elements of hallucinatory nightmares, gross (but tastefully done) biological grotesqueries, and surprisingly comedic exchanges (sometimes amidst something disturbing). Michael Shanks skillfully blends these components seamlessly and wraps them up in a slowly mounting sense of impending doom.
Layered Performances
A large part of Together is solely Brie and Franco, and they masterfully render countless layers to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Her self-assurance and feeling of intimacy is deteriorating due to a distance. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his unwillingness to chase only his struggling artistic pursuits inexorably rises.
In contrast, Tim's character feels trapped and separated by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve left the city and far away from his social circle. He fears the concept of completely losing his personal autonomy in another person. This fear is intensified by the reality he can’t drive and needs Millie for transportation.
Shanks’ smartest move is that he refrains from painting Tim or Millie the definite antagonist.
The couple face the type of challenges that come with long-term unions after ten years. Deep down, they still love each other. They find humor with each other, comfort one another, and are vulnerable at times. But beneath it all, there’s an persistent feeling of questioning about their relationship.
Allegory and Meaning
While the paranormal elements in Together symbolize these anxieties of excessive reliance and totally devoting oneself to another person, the symbolism never feels hamfisted or self-important. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments offer a brilliant analogue to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the supernatural and the personal enhance each other in a mutually beneficial way.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s ending, which is best experienced firsthand, has created disagreement on the film’s ultimate message about codependent relationships. It has been said that those not in relationships have understood the narrative as a compelling reason for avoiding commitment. Conversely, some couples who were in conflict found that the film actually helped them reconcile.
Whether you’re single or coupled up, your own reaction could function as a telling indicator of how you think about commitment. Will the conclusion sow a sense of discomfort and fear, or a positive outlook on love? Will you identify in either protagonist and yell at the screen, or simply look at your significant other and state, “I’d do that for you”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an test you can embark on at this very moment.
Together is available to watch on Hulu's platform now.
