We present a dare for those in enduring partnerships who appreciate scary movies: Get comfortable with your loved one and watch Together. The critically acclaimed 2025 movie just made its online premiere on Hulu. Outwardly, it may seem like conventional biological terror, but beneath Together exists a deep examination about the ways we decide to love one another.
A Directorial Debut Investigating Partnership Complexities
Together represents the introductory feature for director Michael Shanks. It features actors Alison Brie and Dave Franco as a couple named Tim and Millie, an unmarried couple that have remained a couple for ten years. Having wed in real life in 2017, the actors bring a particular energy to their roles, expertly portraying both the good and bad of a committed partnership.
The plot begins when Tim and Millie relocate from the metropolis to the rural area for professional reasons. A somewhat stereotypical story element, sure, but that’s primarily where the tropes conclude. Together evolves into as much a psychological exploration of the pair’s relationship as it is a film about physical terror.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While walking near their country house, a violent storm occurs, and the protagonists tumble into an subterranean cavern. After a night spent there and eventually escaping, a strange force begins influencing the couple. This force induces a otherworldly bond between them that goes far beyond typical partnership.
The whole movie is a methodically building of scares, weaving in elements of dreamlike terrors, gross (but tastefully done) body horror, and authentically humorous interactions (sometimes in the middle of something horrific). Shanks weaves these elements together seamlessly and wraps them up in a gradually swelling atmosphere of fear.
Layered Performances
A significant portion of Together is solely the performances of its stars, and they masterfully render numerous complexities to the characters’ relationship. Millie's sense of self and emotional bond is suffering due to a lack of intimacy. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his hesitance to focus on anything other than his failing musical ambitions inexorably rises.
Conversely, Tim senses confinement and isolated by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve left the city and far away from his support system. He fears the concept of utterly sacrificing his sense of self in another person. This fear is further exacerbated by the fact he does not operate a vehicle and is dependent on Millie for getting around.
Shanks’ smartest move is that he avoids making one partner or the other the obvious villain.
The couple face the type of challenges that come with long-term unions over a long period. Deep down, they still love each other. They share moments of joy, offer support, and open up at times. But beneath it all, there’s an unavoidable undercurrent of doubt about their relationship.
Allegory and Meaning
While the supernatural forces in Together act as a metaphor for these concerns of excessive reliance and fully committing to a partner, the allegory avoids being hamfisted or self-important. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments provide a ideal counterpart to the character-driven drama. Both the frights and the fights serve the other in a mutually beneficial way.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s final act, which is best experienced firsthand, has sparked debate on the movie's final takeaway about unhealthy partnerships. Accounts suggest that unattached audience members have seen the movie as a powerful case for avoiding commitment. On the other hand, certain partners who were in conflict found that the film ended up guiding them to make up.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own reaction could act as a great barometer of how you perceive partnership. Will the ending plant anxiety and horror, or a positive outlook on love? Will you see yourself in one of the characters and scream at your TV, or simply turn to your partner and utter, “We could get through that together”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an exploration you can embark on at this very moment.
Together is currently playing on the streaming service Hulu now.
