We present a test for those in enduring partnerships who appreciate scary movies: Sit down with your partner and view Together. This 2025 indie hit has now made its online premiere on Hulu. Outwardly, it may seem like conventional physical horror, but within Together resides a intense examination about the ways we decide to love one another.
A Directorial Debut Delving into Relationship Dynamics
Together is the first full-length movie for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It showcases the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as a couple named Tim and Millie, a pair who are not married that have stayed together for a decade. United in marriage in real life in 2017, the two stars contribute a particular energy to their characters, masterfully depicting both the strengths and weaknesses of a committed partnership.
The story starts when Tim and Millie move from the big city to the country for Millie’s job. A familiar plot device, sure, but that’s largely where the conventions end. Together evolves into as much a psychological exploration of the pair’s relationship as it is a film about physical terror.
A Paranormal Spark
While trekking near their rural residence, a tempest descends, and the protagonists fall into an subterranean cavern. After spending the night there and finally finding a way out, a strange force starts to affect the duo. This force creates a otherworldly bond between them that goes exceeding simple connection.
The complete narrative is a methodically building of scares, blending moments of hallucinatory nightmares, gross (but tastefully done) biological grotesqueries, and surprisingly comedic dialogue (sometimes amidst something disturbing). Shanks skillfully blends these components seamlessly and wraps them up in a consistently growing aura of dread.
Complex Characterizations
A great deal of Together is exclusively Brie and Franco, and they skillfully illustrate countless layers to the characters’ relationship. Millie’s confidence and feeling of intimacy is suffering due to a lack of intimacy. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his unwillingness to pursue anything but his failing musical ambitions inexorably rises.
Conversely, Tim experiences isolation and separated by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve left the city and distant from his social circle. He dreads the notion of utterly sacrificing his sense of self in Millie. This fear is further exacerbated by the reality he lacks a driver's license and is dependent on Millie for transportation.
The director's cleverest decision in this movie refrains from painting one partner or the other the definite antagonist.
The couple grapple with the sort of issues that come with most partnerships after ten years. Deep down, they still love each other. They share moments of joy, provide solace, and open up at times. But under the surface, there’s an unavoidable feeling of questioning about their relationship.
Allegory and Meaning
While the supernatural forces in Together act as a metaphor for these fears of codependency and giving oneself over to another person, the allegory avoids being overly obvious or self-important. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes provide a ideal counterpart to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the horror and the drama serve the other symbiotically.
A Debated Finale
Together’s ending, which won’t be spoiled here, has sparked debate on the film’s ultimate message about codependent relationships. Accounts suggest that unattached audience members have understood the narrative as a compelling reason for staying single. On the other hand, some couples who were in conflict found that the film ultimately assisted them make up.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own interpretation could potentially serve as a revealing measure of how you think about commitment. Will the ending plant feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a positive outlook on love? Will you recognize your own traits in Tim or Millie and scream at your TV, or simply glance toward your significant other and utter, “I’d do that for you”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an test you can embark on right now.
Together is currently playing on the streaming service Hulu now.
