Here's a dare for long-term couples who appreciate scary movies: Sit down with your loved one and watch Together. The independent film success of 2025 recently had its online premiere on Hulu. Outwardly, it could look like standard biological terror, but within Together exists a deep examination about our choices in loving our partners.
An Introductory Film Exploring The Nuances of Love
Together marks the introductory feature for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It features Dave Franco and Alison Brie as a couple named Tim and Millie, an unmarried couple that have stayed together for ten years. Having wed in real life in 2017, Franco and Brie contribute a special spark to their characters, expertly portraying both the joys and frustrations of a committed partnership.
The plot starts when the couple transition from the urban environment to the rural area for her career. A commonly used plot device, admittedly, but that’s largely where the conventions end. Together becomes 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 new home, a violent storm occurs, and Millie and Tim fall into an subterranean cavern. After a night spent there and managing to escape, a supernatural entity takes hold of the couple. This force creates a supernatural closeness between them that goes far beyond typical partnership.
The whole movie is a slow burn fright fest, blending elements of hallucinatory nightmares, unsettling (but never too gross) physical transformations, and genuinely funny dialogue (sometimes during something horrific). Shanks orchestrates these parts seamlessly and delivers them in a slowly mounting aura of dread.
Complex Characterizations
A large part of Together is solely Brie and Franco, and they skillfully illustrate manifold depths to the partnership at the film's core. Millie's sense of self and emotional bond is waning due to a distance. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his reluctance to pursue anything but his struggling artistic pursuits inexorably rises.
In contrast, Tim's character feels trapped and cut off by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve left the city and removed from his network of friends. He is terrified of the idea of totally forfeiting his individual identity in his partner. This fear is further exacerbated by the fact he lacks a driver's license and needs Millie for transportation.
The film's most intelligent aspect in this movie never makes Tim or Millie the definite antagonist.
Tim and Millie grapple with the kind of problems that are inherent in most partnerships after ten years. Fundamentally, they have affection for each other. They find humor with each other, offer support, and open up at times. But below this facade, there’s an unavoidable feeling of questioning about their bond.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the supernatural forces in Together act as a metaphor for these fears of excessive reliance and totally devoting oneself to a partner, the symbolism avoids being clumsy or heavy-handed. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments offer a perfect parallel to the character-driven drama. Both the supernatural and the personal work together symbiotically.
A Debated Finale
Together’s final act, which remains unspoiled, has sparked debate on the movie's final takeaway about unhealthy partnerships. Accounts suggest that unattached audience members have understood the narrative as a strong argument for remaining unattached. Conversely, a few pairs who were in conflict found that the film ended up guiding them to reconcile.
Whether you’re single or coupled up, your own reaction could potentially serve as a great barometer of how you think about commitment. Will the conclusion sow a sense of discomfort and fear, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you recognize your own traits in either protagonist and scream at your TV, or simply glance toward your other half and state, “We could get through that together”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an exploration you can embark on at this very moment.
Together is available to watch on Hulu as of this moment.
