We present a dare for partners in committed relationships who are fans of scary movies: Settle in with your partner and view Together. The independent film success of 2025 has now made its online premiere via Hulu. Outwardly, it may seem like conventional biological terror, but beneath Together lies a deep contemplation about the ways we decide to love one another.
A Directorial Debut Delving into Relationship Dynamics
Together marks the first full-length movie for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It showcases the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Tim and Millie, partners that have stayed together for over ten years. United in marriage in reality in 2017, Franco and Brie contribute a particular energy to their portrayals, skillfully embodying both the good and bad of a long-term relationship.
The story commences when the couple move from the urban environment to the rural area for her career. A familiar story element, admittedly, but that’s largely where the tropes conclude. Together becomes as much a psychological exploration of the pair’s relationship as it is a film about physical terror.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While walking near their new home, a tempest descends, and the two fall into an subterranean cavern. After being trapped overnight there and finally finding a way out, a strange force begins influencing the couple. This force compels a paranormal intimacy between them that goes exceeding emotional intimacy.
The whole movie is a gradually intensifying fright fest, weaving in elements of dreamlike terrors, gross (but tastefully done) body horror, and surprisingly comedic dialogue (sometimes in the middle of something disturbing). Shanks skillfully blends these components neatly and delivers them in a slowly mounting aura of dread.
Complex Characterizations
A great deal of Together is exclusively Brie and Franco, and they deftly portray manifold depths to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Millie's sense of self and feeling of intimacy is waning due to a emotional and physical gap. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his reluctance to pursue anything but his struggling artistic pursuits slowly bubbles to the surface.
Conversely, Tim experiences isolation and isolated by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve left the city and far away from his social circle. He fears the notion of totally forfeiting his personal autonomy in Millie. This fear is amplified by the circumstance he does not operate a vehicle and is dependent on Millie for transportation.
The film's most intelligent aspect is that he refrains from painting Tim or Millie the clear bad guy.
Both characters confront the type of challenges that are inherent in most partnerships over a long period. Deep down, they have affection for each other. They still laugh together, provide solace, and open up at times. But below this facade, there’s an unavoidable feeling of questioning about their bond.
Allegory and Meaning
While the supernatural forces in Together act as a metaphor for these concerns of excessive reliance and totally devoting oneself to another person, the symbolism does not come across as hamfisted or self-important. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes provide a ideal counterpart to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the supernatural and the personal serve the other in harmony.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s final act, which is best experienced firsthand, has created disagreement on the movie's final takeaway about enmeshed dynamics. Reports indicate that single viewers have seen the movie as a strong argument for staying single. On the other hand, some couples experiencing tension found that the film actually helped them make up.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own interpretation could act as a revealing measure of how you view relationships. Will the finale inspire feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a positive outlook on love? Will you recognize your own traits in Tim or Millie and feel frustration, or simply glance toward your significant other and utter, “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.
