Here's a test for partners in committed relationships who are fans of scary movies: Sit down with your significant other and stream Together. The 2025 indie hit just made its launch on a streaming platform on the Hulu service. At first glance, it might appear like conventional physical horror, but beneath Together lies a profound examination about our choices in loving one another.
An Introductory Film Exploring Relationship Dynamics
Together marks the debut feature-length film for director Michael Shanks. It showcases Dave Franco and Alison Brie as a couple named Tim and Millie, a pair who are not married that have remained a couple for over ten years. United in marriage in reality in 2017, the actors contribute a particular energy to their portrayals, expertly portraying both the joys and frustrations of a committed partnership.
The narrative starts when Millie and Tim transition from the big city to the countryside for her career. A familiar narrative setup, admittedly, but that’s largely where the cliches conclude. Together becomes as much a deep dive into the psyche of the couple's dynamic as it is a film about physical terror.
A Paranormal Spark
While hiking near their new home, a violent storm occurs, and the protagonists tumble into an subterranean cavern. After being trapped overnight there and managing to escape, a strange force begins influencing the duo. This force induces a supernatural closeness between them that goes well past simple connection.
The whole movie is a slow burn horror experience, weaving in elements of dreamlike terrors, gross (but tastefully done) body horror, and genuinely funny exchanges (sometimes in the middle of something horrific). Shanks weaves these elements together expertly and delivers them in a gradually swelling sense of impending doom.
Complex Characterizations
A significant portion of Together is exclusively the two lead actors, and they deftly portray numerous complexities to the characters’ relationship. Millie’s confidence and sense of connection is waning due to a lack of intimacy. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his hesitance to pursue anything but his floundering music career gradually emerges.
Conversely, Tim experiences isolation and separated by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve relocated rural and distant from his support system. He is terrified of the concept of totally forfeiting his sense of self in his partner. This fear is intensified by the reality he lacks a driver's license and needs Millie for mobility.
The film's most intelligent aspect in this movie refrains from painting either of his characters the obvious villain.
Both characters grapple with the kind of problems that arise in most partnerships a decade in. At their core, they continue to care for each other. They find humor with each other, comfort one another, and open up at times. But under the surface, there’s an inescapable undercurrent of doubt about their bond.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the paranormal elements in Together represent these concerns of codependency and totally devoting oneself to a partner, the allegory avoids being hamfisted or heavy-handed. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes present a perfect parallel to the relationship narrative. Both the supernatural and the personal serve the other symbiotically.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s final act, which remains unspoiled, has created disagreement on the movie's final takeaway about codependent relationships. It has been said that unattached audience members have seen the movie as a strong argument for staying single. Conversely, 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 think about commitment. Will the finale plant anxiety and horror, or a positive outlook on love? Will you recognize your own traits in Tim or Millie and yell at the screen, or simply glance toward your partner and state, “I understand that choice”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an test you can experience today.
Together is streaming on the streaming service Hulu at present.
