We present a dare for those in enduring partnerships who appreciate scary movies: Settle in with your loved one and view Together. The critically acclaimed 2025 movie just made its online premiere on the Hulu service. On the surface, it could look like conventional biological terror, but inside Together lies a deep contemplation about the ways we decide to love one another.
A Debut Feature Investigating The Nuances of Love
Together marks the first full-length movie for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It showcases actors Alison Brie and Dave Franco as Millie and Tim, partners that have been together for a decade. Married in real life in 2017, the actors bring a unique chemistry to their portrayals, skillfully embodying both the strengths and weaknesses of a long-term relationship.
The narrative begins when Tim and Millie move from the urban environment to the countryside for her career. A familiar plot device, admittedly, but that’s largely where the cliches cease. Together transforms into as much a psychological exploration of the couple's dynamic as it is a body horror flick.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While walking near their rural residence, a storm hits, and Millie and Tim tumble into an underground cave. After spending the night there and managing to escape, a supernatural entity takes hold of the couple. This force creates a otherworldly bond between them that goes well past typical partnership.
The entire film is a methodically building of scares, blending elements of fever-dream horrors, unsettling (but never too gross) biological grotesqueries, and genuinely funny exchanges (sometimes during something disturbing). The director weaves these elements together seamlessly and presents them in a gradually swelling aura of dread.
Layered Performances
A large part of Together is only the two lead actors, and they deftly portray countless layers to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Millie's sense of self and emotional bond is deteriorating due to a distance. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his reluctance to focus on anything other than his floundering music career inexorably rises.
In contrast, Tim's character experiences isolation and separated by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve relocated rural and removed from his network of friends. He dreads the concept of utterly sacrificing his personal autonomy in his partner. This fear is intensified by the fact he can’t drive and is dependent on Millie for transportation.
Shanks’ smartest move in this movie never makes one partner or the other the obvious villain.
Tim and Millie confront the type of challenges that arise in most partnerships over a long period. At their core, they continue to care for each other. They share moments of joy, offer support, and open up at times. But beneath it all, there’s an persistent undercurrent of doubt about their future together.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the supernatural forces in Together represent these concerns of unhealthy attachment and giving oneself over to another person, the symbolism never feels overly obvious or self-important. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes provide a perfect parallel to the character-driven drama. Both the horror and the drama enhance each other in a mutually beneficial way.
A Debated Finale
Together’s conclusion, which remains unspoiled, has created disagreement on the story's concluding statement about codependent relationships. Reports indicate that unattached audience members have understood the narrative as a compelling reason for staying single. Conversely, some couples having disagreements found that the film actually helped them resolve their issues.
Whether you’re single or coupled up, your own reaction could function as a great barometer of how you perceive partnership. Will the ending inspire anxiety and horror, or a positive outlook on love? Will you identify in either protagonist and feel frustration, or simply turn to your partner and utter, “I’d do that for you”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an experiment you can embark on today.
Together is streaming on Hulu's platform at present.
