We present a test for those in enduring partnerships who enjoy scary movies: Sit down with your loved one and view Together. The critically acclaimed 2025 movie has now made its online premiere on Hulu. Outwardly, it could look like standard biological terror, but within Together lies a deep contemplation about our choices in loving each other.
An Introductory Film Delving into Relationship Dynamics
Together represents the debut feature-length film for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It stars 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 been together for a decade. Having wed in real life in 2017, the two stars contribute a particular energy to their characters, skillfully embodying both the good and bad of a committed partnership.
The plot commences when the couple transition from the big city to the country for her career. A familiar narrative setup, of course, but that’s largely where the conventions conclude. Together evolves into as much a examination of mental states of the partnership as it is a movie featuring biological frights.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While hiking near their rural residence, a storm hits, and the two discover an subterranean cavern. After spending the night there and finally finding a way out, a strange force takes hold of the pair. This force induces a otherworldly bond between them that goes exceeding emotional intimacy.
The complete narrative is a gradually intensifying fright fest, weaving in moments of fever-dream horrors, unsettling (but never too gross) physical transformations, and genuinely funny dialogue (sometimes during something disturbing). The director weaves these elements together seamlessly and delivers them in a gradually swelling atmosphere of fear.
Layered Performances
A large part of Together is exclusively Brie and Franco, and they deftly portray countless layers to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Her self-assurance and emotional bond is waning due to a lack of intimacy. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his reluctance to chase only his floundering music career inexorably rises.
Tim, on the other hand experiences isolation and separated by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve relocated rural and removed from his network of friends. He fears the concept of completely losing his individual identity in Millie. This fear is intensified by the circumstance he lacks a driver's license and needs Millie for transportation.
The film's most intelligent aspect in this movie avoids making Tim or Millie the obvious villain.
Tim and Millie face the type of challenges that come with most partnerships after ten years. At their core, they continue to care for one another. They share moments of joy, provide solace, and share intimately at times. But beneath it all, there’s an persistent undercurrent of doubt about their relationship.
Thematic Depth
While the otherworldly presence in Together act as a metaphor for these concerns of codependency and fully committing to a partner, the metaphor avoids being hamfisted or self-important. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments offer a ideal counterpart to the relationship narrative. Both the supernatural and the personal work together in harmony.
A Debated Finale
Together’s ending, which is best experienced firsthand, has sparked debate on the movie's final takeaway about codependent relationships. It has been said that single viewers have seen the movie as a strong argument for staying single. Conversely, some couples who were in conflict found that the film ended up guiding them to resolve their issues.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own response could act as a revealing measure of how you perceive partnership. Will the ending inspire a sense of discomfort and fear, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you recognize your own traits in one of the characters and feel frustration, or simply turn to your other half and say, “I’d do that for you”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an test you can experience today.
Together is available to watch on the streaming service Hulu as of this moment.
