We present a test for partners in committed relationships who appreciate scary movies: Get comfortable with your significant other and view Together. The 2025 indie hit has now made its online premiere on the Hulu service. On the surface, it may seem like standard biological terror, but inside Together lies a profound meditation about how we choose to love each other.
A Directorial Debut Delving into Relationship Dynamics
Together is the first full-length movie for director Michael Shanks. It stars Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Tim and Millie, an unmarried couple that have stayed together for a decade. Married in real life in 2017, the two stars infuse a particular energy to their characters, masterfully depicting both the good and bad of a long-term relationship.
The narrative commences when Millie and Tim move from the big city to the rural area for professional reasons. A somewhat stereotypical plot device, of course, but that’s mostly where the conventions cease. Together evolves into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the pair’s relationship as it is a movie featuring biological frights.
A Paranormal Spark
While hiking near their country house, a tempest descends, and the protagonists discover an subterranean cavern. After a night spent there and eventually escaping, a mysterious influence begins influencing the couple. This force compels a paranormal intimacy between them that goes exceeding typical partnership.
The whole movie is a gradually intensifying of scares, weaving in moments of dreamlike terrors, disturbing (but never too gross) biological grotesqueries, and surprisingly comedic exchanges (sometimes in the middle of something grotesque). The director orchestrates these parts neatly and delivers them in a consistently growing sense of impending doom.
Layered Performances
A large part of Together is exclusively Brie and Franco, and they masterfully render countless layers to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Millie’s confidence and feeling of intimacy is deteriorating due to a emotional and physical gap. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his unwillingness to chase only his failing musical ambitions inexorably rises.
Tim, on the other hand senses confinement and separated by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve relocated rural and far away from his network of friends. He is terrified of the concept of utterly sacrificing his personal autonomy in his partner. This fear is further exacerbated by the fact he can’t drive and needs Millie for mobility.
The film's most intelligent aspect in this movie never makes either of his characters the definite antagonist.
The couple grapple with the kind of problems that arise in most partnerships over a long period. At their core, they have affection for one another. They share moments of joy, offer support, and open up at times. But below this facade, there’s an unavoidable undercurrent of doubt about their relationship.
Thematic Depth
While the paranormal elements in Together act as a metaphor for these concerns of unhealthy attachment and totally devoting oneself to a partner, the symbolism never feels clumsy or heavy-handed. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes present a ideal counterpart to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the supernatural and the personal enhance each other in a mutually beneficial way.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s ending, which won’t be spoiled here, has sparked debate on the story's concluding statement about codependent relationships. Accounts suggest that those not in relationships have interpreted the film as a compelling reason for avoiding commitment. Conversely, some couples having disagreements found that the film ultimately assisted them make up.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own response could potentially serve as a great barometer of how you think about commitment. Will the ending plant feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a positive outlook on love? Will you recognize your own traits in either protagonist and scream at your TV, or simply look at your significant other and state, “I understand that choice”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an test you can embark on today.
Together is available to watch on Hulu's platform at present.
