Here's a test for partners in committed relationships who are fans of scary movies: Settle in with your loved one and view Together. The 2025 indie hit recently had its online premiere on the Hulu service. At first glance, it may seem like typical physical horror, but beneath Together lies a intense meditation about the ways we decide to love our partners.
A Debut Feature Investigating Partnership Complexities
Together is the first full-length movie for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It features actors Alison Brie and Dave Franco as Tim and Millie, partners that have remained a couple for over ten years. Married in real life in 2017, the two stars bring a special spark to their portrayals, masterfully depicting both the good and bad of a committed partnership.
The story commences when the couple relocate from the big city to the country for Millie’s job. A somewhat stereotypical plot device, of course, but that’s mostly where the tropes cease. Together transforms into as much a examination of mental states of the partnership as it is a movie featuring biological frights.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While trekking near their new home, a tempest descends, and Millie and Tim tumble into an hole in the earth. After a night spent there and eventually escaping, a strange force takes hold of the couple. This force creates a supernatural closeness between them that goes far beyond typical partnership.
The whole movie is a methodically building horror experience, weaving in bits of fever-dream horrors, gross (but tastefully done) body horror, and genuinely funny dialogue (sometimes amidst something grotesque). Shanks skillfully blends these components neatly and wraps them up in a gradually swelling aura of dread.
Complex Characterizations
A great deal of Together is exclusively the performances of its stars, and they deftly portray countless layers to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Millie’s confidence and feeling of intimacy is waning due to a emotional and physical gap. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his hesitance to chase only his floundering music career inexorably rises.
In contrast, Tim's character feels trapped and isolated by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve moved to the country and removed from his network of friends. He fears the notion of completely losing his individual identity in his partner. This fear is intensified by the reality he does not operate a vehicle and is dependent on Millie for transportation.
The film's most intelligent aspect in this movie avoids making either of his characters the definite antagonist.
Tim and Millie face the kind of problems that arise in most partnerships over a long period. Deep down, they still love one another. They share moments of joy, comfort one another, and are vulnerable at times. But under the surface, there’s an unavoidable current of uncertainty about their future together.
Thematic Depth
While the otherworldly presence in Together symbolize these anxieties of codependency and fully committing 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 relationship narrative. Both the horror and the drama work together in harmony.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s final act, which is best experienced firsthand, has sparked debate on the film’s ultimate message about codependent relationships. Reports indicate that those not in relationships have interpreted the film as a compelling reason for staying single. On the other hand, certain partners having disagreements found that the film actually helped them resolve their issues.
Whether you’re single or coupled up, your own response could potentially serve as a telling indicator of how you view relationships. Will the ending inspire feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you identify in Tim or Millie and feel frustration, or simply glance toward your significant other and say, “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 Hulu's platform at present.
