We present a dare for those in enduring partnerships who are fans of scary movies: Settle in with your loved one and view Together. The 2025 indie hit just made its online premiere on the Hulu service. At first glance, it might appear like standard physical horror, but inside Together exists a deep contemplation about the ways we decide to love each other.
A Debut Feature Exploring The Nuances of Love
Together represents the first full-length movie for director Michael Shanks. It features actors Alison Brie and Dave Franco as Millie and Tim, partners that have remained a couple for a decade. United in marriage in actuality in 2017, the actors bring a particular energy to their roles, expertly portraying both the good and bad of a long-term relationship.
The story starts when Tim and Millie move from the urban environment to the countryside for professional reasons. A familiar plot device, of course, but that’s primarily where the tropes conclude. Together transforms into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the pair’s relationship as it is a film about physical terror.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While walking near their rural residence, a violent storm occurs, and Millie and Tim tumble into an subterranean cavern. After being trapped overnight there and managing to escape, a strange force begins influencing the duo. This force creates a otherworldly bond between them that goes far beyond typical partnership.
The entire film is a gradually intensifying of scares, weaving in elements of hallucinatory nightmares, gross (but tastefully done) body horror, and surprisingly comedic dialogue (sometimes in the middle of something horrific). Michael Shanks skillfully blends these components seamlessly and delivers them in a gradually swelling aura of dread.
Layered Performances
A great deal of Together is exclusively the performances of its stars, and they deftly portray countless layers to the characters’ relationship. Millie’s confidence and feeling of intimacy is deteriorating due to a lack of intimacy. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his reluctance to focus on anything other than his floundering music career inexorably rises.
Conversely, Tim feels trapped and cut off by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve left the city and distant from his network of friends. He is terrified of the idea of totally forfeiting his sense of self in Millie. This fear is amplified by the reality he lacks a driver's license and is dependent on Millie for transportation.
The director's cleverest decision in this movie never makes Tim or Millie the clear bad guy.
Tim and Millie grapple with the type of challenges that come with long-term unions a decade in. At their core, they still love each other. They find humor with each other, provide solace, and share intimately at times. But beneath it all, there’s an unavoidable feeling of questioning about their relationship.
Allegory and Meaning
While the paranormal elements in Together act as a metaphor for these concerns of codependency and fully committing to another person, the metaphor does not come across as clumsy or heavy-handed. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes provide a brilliant analogue to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the supernatural and the personal work together symbiotically.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s conclusion, which is best experienced firsthand, has left audiences divided on the story's concluding statement about enmeshed dynamics. It has been said that those not in relationships have understood the narrative as a powerful case for avoiding commitment. On the other hand, a few pairs having disagreements found that the film ended up guiding them to make up.
Whether you’re single or coupled up, your own interpretation could potentially serve as a great barometer of how you think about commitment. Will the finale inspire a sense of discomfort and fear, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you recognize your own traits in either protagonist and feel frustration, or simply look at your other half and say, “I understand that choice”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an experiment you can experience at this very moment.
Together is available to watch on Hulu at present.
