Consider this a dare for those in enduring partnerships who enjoy scary movies: Sit down with your partner and view Together. This 2025 indie hit has now made its online premiere on the Hulu service. At first glance, it may seem like typical biological terror, but inside Together resides a profound contemplation about how we choose to love each other.
A Debut Feature Delving into Partnership Complexities
Together is the debut feature-length film for director Michael Shanks. It showcases the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Millie and Tim, a pair who are not married that have been together for over ten years. Married in real life in 2017, Franco and Brie infuse a particular energy to their roles, skillfully embodying both the joys and frustrations of a committed partnership.
The plot commences when Millie and Tim relocate from the metropolis to the country for Millie’s job. A familiar story element, admittedly, but that’s mostly where the conventions cease. Together transforms 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 hiking near their new home, a storm hits, and the protagonists tumble 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 paranormal intimacy between them that goes exceeding emotional intimacy.
The complete narrative is a slow burn fright fest, blending elements of fever-dream horrors, disturbing (but tastefully done) physical transformations, and surprisingly comedic dialogue (sometimes in the middle of something grotesque). The director orchestrates these parts expertly and delivers them in a consistently growing sense of impending doom.
Nuanced Portrayals
A large part of Together is solely the performances of its stars, and they skillfully illustrate manifold depths to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Millie’s confidence and emotional bond is waning due to a distance. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his hesitance to pursue anything but his struggling artistic pursuits gradually emerges.
Tim, on the other hand experiences isolation and separated by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve relocated rural and far away from his network of friends. He dreads the idea of completely losing his personal autonomy in another person. This fear is intensified by the fact he lacks a driver's license and is dependent on Millie for mobility.
Shanks’ smartest move in this movie never makes one partner or the other the definite antagonist.
Both characters grapple with the sort of issues that come with long-term unions a decade in. Fundamentally, they continue to care for one another. They find humor with each other, provide solace, and open up at times. But beneath it all, there’s an inescapable undercurrent of doubt about their future together.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the otherworldly presence in Together represent these fears of excessive reliance and giving oneself over to another person, the metaphor does not come across as hamfisted or heavy-handed. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments present a ideal counterpart to the character-driven drama. Both the horror and the drama serve the other in a mutually beneficial way.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s conclusion, which is best experienced firsthand, has sparked debate on the story's concluding statement about unhealthy partnerships. Accounts suggest that single viewers have seen the movie as a strong argument for staying single. On the other hand, certain partners having disagreements found that the film ultimately assisted them resolve their issues.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own interpretation could function as a great barometer of how you perceive partnership. Will the finale plant feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a positive outlook on love? Will you identify in either protagonist and feel frustration, or simply glance toward your partner and say, “I’d do that for you”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an exploration you can experience today.
Together is streaming on the streaming service Hulu at present.
