Here's a challenge for those in enduring partnerships who are fans of scary movies: Get comfortable with your loved one and stream Together. This 2025 indie hit just made its online premiere on Hulu. Outwardly, it may seem like standard physical horror, but beneath Together exists a profound meditation about our choices in loving each other.
A Debut Feature Investigating The Nuances of Love
Together marks the debut feature-length film for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It showcases the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Tim and Millie, an unmarried couple that have been together for over ten years. United in marriage in real life in 2017, Franco and Brie infuse a particular energy to their roles, expertly portraying both the good and bad of a committed partnership.
The story commences when Tim and Millie move from the big city to the rural area for Millie’s job. A familiar narrative setup, admittedly, but that’s primarily where the tropes conclude. Together becomes as much a deep dive into the psyche of the pair’s relationship as it is a film about physical terror.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While hiking near their new home, a storm hits, and Millie and Tim fall into an hole in the earth. After being trapped overnight there and managing to escape, a strange force takes hold of the duo. This force induces a supernatural closeness between them that goes far beyond simple connection.
The whole movie is a slow burn fright fest, weaving in elements of dreamlike terrors, disturbing (but not excessively graphic) biological grotesqueries, and genuinely funny interactions (sometimes amidst something horrific). The director weaves these elements together expertly and delivers them in a slowly mounting sense of impending doom.
Nuanced Portrayals
A large part of Together is solely the two lead actors, and they deftly portray countless layers to the partnership at the film's core. Her self-assurance and emotional bond is waning due to a emotional and physical gap. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his unwillingness to chase only his floundering music career inexorably rises.
Conversely, Tim feels trapped and separated by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve left the city and removed from his network of friends. He fears the notion of completely losing his individual identity in another person. This fear is amplified by the fact he does not operate a vehicle and is dependent on Millie for mobility.
The film's most intelligent aspect is that he avoids making Tim or Millie the definite antagonist.
The couple face the type of challenges that arise in most partnerships over a long period. At their core, they have affection for one another. They share moments of joy, provide solace, and are vulnerable at times. But beneath it all, there’s an unavoidable undercurrent of doubt about their bond.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the otherworldly presence in Together represent these concerns of excessive reliance and giving oneself over to another person, the metaphor does not come across as overly obvious or pretentious. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes present a brilliant analogue to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the supernatural and the personal enhance each other symbiotically.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s final act, which won’t be spoiled here, has created disagreement on the story's concluding statement about unhealthy partnerships. Accounts suggest that unattached audience members have understood the narrative as a compelling reason for staying single. Meanwhile, certain partners who were in conflict found that the film actually helped them resolve their issues.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own response could potentially serve as a revealing measure of how you view relationships. Will the finale sow anxiety and horror, or a positive outlook on love? Will you identify in Tim or Millie and yell at the screen, or simply look at your significant other and say, “I’d do that for you”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an exploration you can undertake today.
Together is currently playing on Hulu's platform at present.
