Consider this a challenge for partners in committed relationships who appreciate scary movies: Get comfortable with your partner and stream Together. This critically acclaimed 2025 movie has now made its launch on a streaming platform on the Hulu service. On the surface, it might appear like standard biological terror, but within Together exists a profound meditation about how we choose to love our partners.
An Introductory Film Investigating Partnership Complexities
Together marks the first full-length movie for director Michael Shanks. It features the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as a couple named Tim and Millie, an unmarried couple that have been together for a decade. Married in real life in 2017, the actors infuse a particular energy to their portrayals, expertly portraying both the strengths and weaknesses of a long-term relationship.
The plot commences when Tim and Millie move from the metropolis to the countryside for Millie’s job. A commonly used plot device, of course, but that’s primarily where the tropes end. Together becomes as much a examination of mental states of the partnership as it is a film about physical terror.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While hiking near their rural residence, a violent storm occurs, and the protagonists tumble into an underground cave. After spending the night there and finally finding a way out, a mysterious influence begins influencing the duo. This force compels a supernatural closeness between them that goes exceeding simple connection.
The entire film is a gradually intensifying of scares, weaving in moments of hallucinatory nightmares, gross (but never too gross) physical transformations, and authentically humorous interactions (sometimes amidst something grotesque). The director orchestrates these parts expertly and delivers them in a gradually swelling sense of impending doom.
Layered Performances
A significant portion of Together is only the two lead actors, and they deftly portray manifold depths to the partnership at the film's core. Millie's sense of self and feeling of intimacy is waning due to a emotional and physical gap. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his unwillingness to pursue anything but his failing musical ambitions slowly bubbles to the surface.
In contrast, Tim's character experiences isolation and separated by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve relocated rural and far away from his network of friends. He fears the concept of utterly sacrificing his personal autonomy in his partner. This fear is amplified by the fact he lacks a driver's license and relies on Millie for transportation.
Shanks’ smartest move in this movie avoids making either of his characters the obvious villain.
Tim and Millie face the kind of problems that are inherent in most partnerships after ten years. Fundamentally, they have affection for one another. They find humor with each other, comfort one another, and open up at times. But under the surface, there’s an persistent current of uncertainty about their future together.
Thematic Depth
While the paranormal elements in Together represent these anxieties of unhealthy attachment and fully committing to another person, the allegory never feels hamfisted or heavy-handed. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments offer a brilliant analogue to the relationship narrative. Both the horror and the drama serve the other in a mutually beneficial way.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s conclusion, which is best experienced firsthand, has sparked debate on the film’s ultimate message about codependent relationships. Reports indicate that single viewers have understood the narrative as a powerful case for staying single. Meanwhile, certain partners experiencing tension found that the film ultimately assisted them resolve their issues.
Whether you’re single or coupled up, your own response could potentially serve as a great barometer of how you think about commitment. Will the finale sow feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you recognize your own traits in one of the characters and feel frustration, or simply look at your other half and utter, “I’d do that for you”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an exploration you can experience right now.
Together is available to watch on Hulu as of this moment.
