We present a test for long-term couples who are fans of scary movies: Sit down with your significant other and watch Together. The critically acclaimed 2025 movie has now made its online premiere on the Hulu service. Outwardly, it might appear like typical body horror, but inside Together exists a profound meditation about how we choose to love one another.
An Introductory Film Delving into The Nuances of Love
Together is the debut feature-length film for director Michael Shanks. It showcases actors Alison Brie and Dave Franco as a couple named Tim and Millie, an unmarried couple that have been together for over ten years. Having wed in reality in 2017, the two stars contribute a special spark to their portrayals, masterfully depicting both the strengths and weaknesses of a enduring union.
The plot starts when Millie and Tim transition from the metropolis to the rural area for Millie’s job. A somewhat stereotypical story element, sure, but that’s largely where the conventions conclude. Together becomes as much a deep dive into the psyche of the pair’s relationship as it is a film about physical terror.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While walking near their country house, a tempest descends, and the two fall into an hole in the earth. After being trapped overnight there and managing to escape, a mysterious influence begins influencing the duo. This force compels a otherworldly bond between them that goes well past simple connection.
The whole movie is a methodically building horror experience, interspersing elements of fever-dream horrors, unsettling (but tastefully done) biological grotesqueries, and genuinely funny interactions (sometimes in the middle of something disturbing). Michael Shanks skillfully blends these components expertly and wraps them up in a consistently growing aura of dread.
Layered Performances
A significant portion of Together is exclusively Brie and Franco, and they skillfully illustrate countless layers to the partnership at the film's core. Her self-assurance and emotional bond is suffering due to a lack of intimacy. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his reluctance to focus on anything other than his struggling artistic pursuits gradually emerges.
Tim, on the other hand experiences isolation and cut off by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve relocated rural and removed from his support system. He is terrified of the concept of completely losing his sense of self in his partner. This fear is intensified by the reality he does not operate a vehicle and needs Millie for mobility.
The director's cleverest decision in Together refrains from painting either of his characters the obvious villain.
Tim and Millie face the sort of issues that arise in long-term unions a decade in. Deep down, they have affection for each other. They find humor with each other, offer support, and open up at times. But beneath it all, there’s an inescapable current of uncertainty about their bond.
Thematic Depth
While the supernatural forces in Together symbolize these concerns of excessive reliance and totally devoting oneself to a partner, the symbolism avoids being clumsy or pretentious. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes present a perfect parallel to the relationship narrative. Both the frights and the fights serve the other symbiotically.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s conclusion, which won’t be spoiled here, has created disagreement on the movie's final takeaway about enmeshed dynamics. It has been said that single viewers have interpreted the film as a strong argument for staying single. Conversely, some couples who were in conflict found that the film ended up guiding them to resolve their issues.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own reaction could potentially serve as a telling indicator of how you think about commitment. Will the ending inspire a sense of discomfort and fear, or a positive outlook on love? Will you identify in Tim or Millie and scream at your TV, or simply look at your other half and utter, “I’d do that for you”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an experiment you can experience at this very moment.
Together is currently playing on Hulu now.
