Here's a challenge for partners in committed relationships who enjoy scary movies: Get comfortable with your partner and view Together. This critically acclaimed 2025 movie has now made its launch on a streaming platform on Hulu. At first glance, it may seem like standard physical horror, but within Together resides a deep meditation about the ways we decide to love each other.
An Introductory Film Exploring The Nuances of Love
Together represents the introductory feature for director Michael Shanks. It features the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as a couple named Tim and Millie, partners that have stayed together for a decade. Married in reality in 2017, the two stars bring a special spark to their characters, masterfully depicting both the good and bad of a enduring union.
The story commences when the couple move from the metropolis to the rural area for professional reasons. A somewhat stereotypical plot device, of course, but that’s primarily where the tropes cease. 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 country house, a storm hits, and the protagonists tumble into an subterranean cavern. After being trapped overnight there and finally finding a way out, a strange force begins influencing the pair. This force creates a otherworldly bond between them that goes exceeding typical partnership.
The complete narrative is a methodically building of scares, weaving in moments of fever-dream horrors, gross (but tastefully done) body horror, and authentically humorous dialogue (sometimes during something disturbing). Michael Shanks skillfully blends these components seamlessly and wraps them up in a gradually swelling aura of dread.
Complex Characterizations
A large part of Together is solely Brie and Franco, and they deftly portray countless layers to the characters’ relationship. Millie's sense of self and sense of connection is suffering due to a distance. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his reluctance to focus on anything other than his struggling artistic pursuits slowly bubbles to the surface.
Conversely, Tim feels trapped and cut off by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve moved to the country and distant from his support system. He dreads the idea of totally forfeiting his sense of self in another person. This fear is amplified by the circumstance he does not operate a vehicle and is dependent on Millie for getting around.
The director's cleverest decision is that he refrains from painting one partner or the other the obvious villain.
Both characters face the sort of issues that arise in any relationship over a long period. Fundamentally, they still love each other. They share moments of joy, provide solace, and are vulnerable at times. But below this facade, there’s an unavoidable undercurrent of doubt about their relationship.
Thematic Depth
While the supernatural forces in Together symbolize these anxieties of excessive reliance and fully committing to another person, the allegory does not come across as overly obvious or self-important. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes provide a perfect parallel to the character-driven drama. Both the supernatural and the personal enhance each other in a mutually beneficial way.
A Debated Finale
Together’s ending, which is best experienced firsthand, has left audiences divided on the movie's final takeaway about enmeshed dynamics. Reports indicate that unattached audience members have understood the narrative as a powerful case for remaining unattached. Meanwhile, some couples who were in conflict found that the film actually helped them reconcile.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own response could potentially serve as a revealing measure of how you perceive partnership. Will the finale sow anxiety and horror, or a positive outlook on love? Will you identify in either protagonist and yell at the screen, or simply look at your other half and state, “We could get through that together”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an test you can experience today.
Together is streaming on the streaming service Hulu as of this moment.
