Consider this a dare for partners in committed relationships who appreciate scary movies: Settle in with your significant other and watch Together. This independent film success of 2025 recently had its online premiere on the Hulu service. On the surface, it might appear like typical biological terror, but inside Together lies a profound contemplation about the ways we decide to love one another.
A Debut Feature Investigating Relationship Dynamics
Together marks the introductory feature for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It features the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as a couple named Tim and Millie, partners that have remained a couple for ten years. Having wed in real life in 2017, the two stars contribute a unique chemistry to their characters, skillfully embodying both the joys and frustrations of a long-term relationship.
The plot starts when Millie and Tim relocate from the urban environment to the countryside for professional reasons. A commonly used story element, of course, but that’s mostly where the tropes cease. Together transforms into as much a examination of mental states of the couple's dynamic as it is a movie featuring biological frights.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While hiking near their new home, a tempest descends, and the protagonists discover an underground cave. After being trapped overnight there and finally finding a way out, a strange force starts to affect the pair. This force creates a supernatural closeness between them that goes far beyond typical partnership.
The entire film is a gradually intensifying fright fest, blending elements of fever-dream horrors, unsettling (but tastefully done) physical transformations, and surprisingly comedic exchanges (sometimes amidst something grotesque). Michael Shanks weaves these elements together seamlessly and wraps them up in a consistently growing sense of impending doom.
Nuanced Portrayals
A significant portion of Together is solely Brie and Franco, and they deftly portray numerous complexities to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Millie’s confidence and sense of connection is deteriorating due to a lack of intimacy. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his hesitance to chase only his struggling artistic pursuits slowly bubbles to the surface.
In contrast, Tim's character feels trapped and cut off by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve relocated rural and far away from his social circle. He fears the notion of totally forfeiting his individual identity in Millie. This fear is intensified by the reality he does not operate a vehicle and needs Millie for getting around.
The film's most intelligent aspect in Together never makes Tim or Millie the obvious villain.
The couple face the kind of problems that come with any relationship over a long period. At their core, they still love each other. They find humor with each other, offer support, and share intimately at times. But beneath it all, there’s an unavoidable current of uncertainty about their bond.
Thematic Depth
While the otherworldly presence in Together act as a metaphor for these anxieties of codependency and fully committing to a partner, the symbolism does not come across as clumsy or pretentious. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes present a ideal counterpart to the character-driven drama. Both the horror and the drama enhance each other symbiotically.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s conclusion, which is best experienced firsthand, has left audiences divided on the movie's final takeaway about codependent relationships. It has been said that single viewers have understood the narrative as a strong argument for staying single. On the other hand, certain partners experiencing tension found that the film ultimately assisted them resolve their issues.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own response could act as a telling indicator of how you view relationships. Will the finale inspire anxiety and horror, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you see yourself in one of the characters and feel frustration, or simply glance toward your significant other and state, “We could get through that together”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an experiment you can undertake right now.
Together is available to watch on Hulu's platform as of this moment.
