Consider this a test for long-term couples who enjoy scary movies: Settle in with your loved one and stream Together. The independent film success of 2025 just made its launch on a streaming platform on the Hulu service. At first glance, it may seem like typical biological terror, but beneath Together lies a deep contemplation about our choices in loving one another.
A Directorial Debut Delving into The Nuances of Love
Together represents the introductory feature for director Michael Shanks. It features Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Millie and Tim, an unmarried couple that have been together for over ten years. Married in reality in 2017, Franco and Brie bring a particular energy to their roles, skillfully embodying both the joys and frustrations of a committed partnership.
The plot begins when Millie and Tim transition from the metropolis to the country for professional reasons. A somewhat stereotypical story element, admittedly, but that’s primarily where the conventions cease. Together evolves into as much a examination of mental states of the couple's dynamic as it is a movie featuring biological frights.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While trekking near their new home, a storm hits, and Millie and Tim tumble into an hole in the earth. After being trapped overnight there and eventually escaping, a strange force starts to affect the duo. This force creates a supernatural closeness between them that goes far beyond typical partnership.
The entire film is a methodically building fright fest, weaving in elements of hallucinatory nightmares, unsettling (but not excessively graphic) physical transformations, and genuinely funny dialogue (sometimes during something disturbing). The director weaves these elements together expertly and presents them in a slowly mounting atmosphere of fear.
Complex Characterizations
A large part of Together is exclusively Brie and Franco, and they masterfully render manifold depths to the characters’ relationship. Millie’s confidence and sense of connection is waning due to a lack of intimacy. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his reluctance to pursue anything but his floundering music career inexorably rises.
Conversely, Tim senses confinement and separated by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve relocated rural and far away from his social circle. He dreads the idea of totally forfeiting his sense of self in another person. This fear is further exacerbated by the circumstance he does not operate a vehicle and relies on Millie for getting around.
Shanks’ smartest move is that he avoids making one partner or the other the obvious villain.
Both characters grapple with the sort of issues that arise in any relationship after ten years. At their core, they have affection for each other. They share moments of joy, comfort one another, and share intimately at times. But under the surface, there’s an inescapable current of uncertainty about their relationship.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the paranormal elements in Together represent these concerns of excessive reliance and totally devoting oneself to a partner, the metaphor does not come across as clumsy or pretentious. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes offer a perfect parallel to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the frights and the fights work together symbiotically.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s final act, which won’t be spoiled here, has created disagreement on the movie's final takeaway about enmeshed dynamics. It has been said that those not in relationships have seen the movie as a compelling reason for staying single. Meanwhile, certain partners experiencing tension found that the film ended up guiding them to resolve their issues.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own interpretation could function as a great barometer of how you perceive partnership. Will the finale sow feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you identify in Tim or Millie and scream at your TV, or simply look at your other half and utter, “I’d do that for you”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an test you can undertake right now.
Together is streaming on Hulu as of this moment.
