Here's a test for partners in committed relationships who enjoy scary movies: Settle in with your significant other and watch Together. This 2025 indie hit recently had its online premiere via Hulu. Outwardly, it may seem like standard body horror, but inside Together exists a intense meditation about how we choose to love one another.
An Introductory Film Exploring Relationship Dynamics
Together is the introductory feature for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It showcases Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Millie and Tim, an unmarried couple that have been together for a decade. Having wed in real life in 2017, Franco and Brie bring a unique chemistry to their roles, masterfully depicting both the good and bad of a enduring union.
The story commences when Tim and Millie relocate from the metropolis to the countryside for Millie’s job. A somewhat stereotypical story element, sure, but that’s mostly 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 Paranormal Spark
While walking near their rural residence, a storm hits, and Millie and Tim discover an subterranean cavern. After being trapped overnight there and managing to escape, a supernatural entity starts to affect the couple. This force creates a otherworldly bond between them that goes exceeding simple connection.
The complete narrative is a methodically building of scares, blending elements of fever-dream horrors, unsettling (but not excessively graphic) biological grotesqueries, and genuinely funny exchanges (sometimes during something horrific). The director weaves these elements together seamlessly and delivers them in a slowly mounting sense of impending doom.
Layered Performances
A large part of Together is solely the performances of its stars, 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 underlying frustration of Tim for his hesitance to focus on anything other than his failing musical ambitions gradually emerges.
Conversely, Tim experiences isolation and cut off by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve left the city and far away from his network of friends. He dreads the notion of completely losing his individual identity in his partner. This fear is further exacerbated by the fact he can’t drive and needs Millie for transportation.
The film's most intelligent aspect is that he refrains from painting one partner or the other the definite antagonist.
Tim and Millie face the type of challenges that come with long-term unions over a long period. At their core, they continue to care for one another. They share moments of joy, provide solace, and open up at times. But below this facade, there’s an inescapable current of uncertainty about their bond.
Thematic Depth
While the supernatural forces in Together represent these concerns of excessive reliance and giving oneself over to a partner, the symbolism never feels overly obvious or self-important. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments offer a brilliant analogue to the character-driven drama. Both the frights and the fights serve the other symbiotically.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s final act, which remains unspoiled, has sparked debate on the movie's final takeaway about codependent relationships. Reports indicate that unattached audience members have interpreted the film as a powerful case for staying single. Conversely, certain partners who were in conflict found that the film actually helped them reconcile.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own reaction could potentially serve as a telling indicator of how you perceive partnership. Will the conclusion inspire feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you identify in one of the characters and scream at your TV, or simply turn to your other half and utter, “I’d do that for you”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an experiment you can experience today.
Together is streaming on the streaming service Hulu now.
