Here's a test for partners in committed relationships who appreciate scary movies: Settle in with your significant other and view Together. The critically acclaimed 2025 movie has now made its launch on a streaming platform on Hulu. On the surface, it may seem like standard physical horror, but inside Together exists a profound contemplation about the ways we decide to love our partners.
A Directorial Debut Exploring The Nuances of Love
Together marks the first full-length movie for director Michael Shanks. It showcases Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Tim and Millie, an unmarried couple that have remained a couple for a decade. Having wed in reality in 2017, the two stars bring a unique chemistry to their portrayals, expertly portraying both the good and bad of a committed partnership.
The story commences when the couple relocate from the big city to the rural area for her career. A commonly used plot device, sure, but that’s primarily where the conventions end. Together evolves into as much a examination of mental states of the couple's dynamic as it is a film about physical terror.
A Paranormal Spark
While trekking near their rural residence, a tempest descends, and Millie and Tim discover an underground cave. After spending the night there and eventually escaping, a supernatural entity begins influencing the duo. This force induces a otherworldly bond between them that goes well past simple connection.
The entire film is a methodically building of scares, interspersing bits of dreamlike terrors, gross (but tastefully done) body horror, and genuinely funny dialogue (sometimes amidst something grotesque). Michael Shanks skillfully blends these components seamlessly and delivers them in a gradually swelling aura of dread.
Complex Characterizations
A large part of Together is solely the two lead actors, and they masterfully render numerous complexities to the partnership at the film's core. Her self-assurance and emotional bond is waning due to a lack of intimacy. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his hesitance to pursue anything but his struggling artistic pursuits gradually emerges.
Conversely, Tim experiences isolation and isolated by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve moved to the country and distant from his social circle. He dreads the idea of totally forfeiting his individual identity in Millie. This fear is intensified by the circumstance he lacks a driver's license and is dependent on Millie for transportation.
Shanks’ smartest move is that he avoids making either of his characters the clear bad guy.
The couple face the sort of issues that come with most partnerships after ten years. At their core, they continue to care for each other. They share moments of joy, comfort one another, and open up at times. But beneath it all, there’s an unavoidable feeling of questioning about their bond.
Thematic Depth
While the paranormal elements in Together represent these fears of unhealthy attachment and totally devoting oneself to another person, the allegory never feels overly obvious or pretentious. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments provide a perfect parallel to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the supernatural and the personal enhance each other in harmony.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s ending, which is best experienced firsthand, has sparked debate on the story's concluding statement about enmeshed dynamics. It has been said that single viewers have understood the narrative as a strong argument for staying single. Conversely, certain partners who were in conflict found that the film ultimately assisted them make up.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own reaction could act as a great barometer of how you perceive partnership. Will the conclusion sow anxiety and horror, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you recognize your own traits in one of the characters and scream at your TV, or simply turn to your significant other and say, “We could get through that together”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an test you can experience right now.
Together is currently playing on Hulu's platform now.
