We present a test for long-term couples who appreciate scary movies: Sit down with your loved one and watch Together. This 2025 indie hit just made its streaming debut via Hulu. At first glance, it may seem like conventional physical horror, but inside Together exists a deep meditation about the ways we decide to love our partners.
A Debut Feature Exploring The Nuances of Love
Together represents the first full-length movie for director Michael Shanks. It showcases Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Millie and Tim, partners that have been together for over ten years. Married in reality in 2017, the two stars bring a special spark to their characters, masterfully depicting both the good and bad of a committed partnership.
The story commences when Millie and Tim relocate from the metropolis to the country for professional reasons. A commonly used narrative setup, sure, but that’s mostly where the tropes conclude. Together evolves into as much a psychological exploration of the partnership as it is a movie featuring biological frights.
A Paranormal Spark
While trekking near their rural residence, a tempest descends, and the protagonists tumble into an underground cave. After a night spent there and managing to escape, a strange force begins influencing the couple. This force induces a paranormal intimacy between them that goes exceeding emotional intimacy.
The whole movie is a slow burn fright fest, weaving in elements of dreamlike terrors, gross (but never too gross) body horror, and genuinely funny dialogue (sometimes amidst something grotesque). The director weaves these elements together neatly and presents them in a gradually swelling atmosphere of fear.
Layered Performances
A great deal of Together is only Brie and Franco, and they masterfully render countless layers to the partnership at the film's core. Millie’s confidence and emotional bond is deteriorating due to a emotional and physical gap. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his hesitance to pursue anything but his struggling artistic pursuits slowly bubbles to the surface.
Conversely, Tim senses confinement and isolated by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve left the city and distant from his network of friends. He is terrified of the notion of completely losing his sense of self in his partner. This fear is intensified by the fact he lacks a driver's license and relies on Millie for getting around.
The director's cleverest decision is that he refrains from painting one partner or the other the definite antagonist.
The couple confront the type of challenges that are inherent in most partnerships over a long period. Deep down, they still love one another. They share moments of joy, provide solace, and open up at times. But under the surface, there’s an inescapable current of uncertainty about their relationship.
Thematic Depth
While the paranormal elements in Together act as a metaphor for these fears of unhealthy attachment and giving oneself over to another person, the metaphor avoids being overly obvious or self-important. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments provide a perfect parallel to the relationship narrative. Both the frights and the fights serve the other symbiotically.
A Debated Finale
Together’s conclusion, which remains unspoiled, has left audiences divided on the movie's final takeaway about unhealthy partnerships. It has been said that those not in relationships have understood the narrative as a powerful case for remaining unattached. Meanwhile, a few pairs experiencing tension found that the film ended up guiding them to resolve their issues.
Whether you’re single or coupled up, your own interpretation could potentially serve as a telling indicator of how you perceive partnership. Will the ending plant anxiety and horror, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you identify in Tim or Millie and scream at your TV, or simply turn to your partner and say, “I’d do that for you”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an experiment you can embark on today.
Together is streaming on Hulu now.
