We present a test for those in enduring partnerships who appreciate scary movies: Settle in with your partner and stream Together. The 2025 indie hit has now made its streaming debut on Hulu. On the surface, it might appear like typical biological terror, but within Together exists a profound examination about how we choose to love our partners.
A Debut Feature Delving into Partnership Complexities
Together is the first full-length movie for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It stars the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as a couple named Tim and Millie, a pair who are not married that have been together for over ten years. Married in reality in 2017, the actors contribute a particular energy to their portrayals, skillfully embodying both the joys and frustrations of a committed partnership.
The story begins when the couple move from the metropolis to the country for professional reasons. A somewhat stereotypical story element, sure, but that’s mostly where the conventions cease. Together becomes as much a deep dive into the psyche of the couple's dynamic as it is a movie featuring biological frights.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While walking near their country house, a violent storm occurs, and the two fall into an hole in the earth. After a night spent there and finally finding a way out, a supernatural entity starts to affect the duo. This force induces a otherworldly bond between them that goes far beyond typical partnership.
The whole movie is a slow burn fright fest, interspersing bits of hallucinatory nightmares, disturbing (but not excessively graphic) biological grotesqueries, and surprisingly comedic exchanges (sometimes in the middle of something horrific). The director orchestrates these parts seamlessly and delivers them in a consistently growing aura of dread.
Nuanced Portrayals
A great deal of Together is only Brie and Franco, and they skillfully illustrate manifold depths to the characters’ relationship. Millie's sense of self and emotional bond is waning due to a distance. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his unwillingness to pursue anything but his failing musical ambitions inexorably rises.
In contrast, Tim's character experiences isolation and separated by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve relocated rural and far away from his support system. He fears the concept of totally forfeiting his individual identity in Millie. This fear is intensified by the reality he lacks a driver's license and relies on Millie for transportation.
The director's cleverest decision in this movie never makes either of his characters the clear bad guy.
The couple face the kind of problems that arise in long-term unions over a long period. Fundamentally, they have affection for each other. They share moments of joy, offer support, and open up at times. But beneath it all, there’s an inescapable undercurrent of doubt about their relationship.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the supernatural forces in Together act as a metaphor for these concerns of unhealthy attachment and fully committing to a partner, the allegory avoids being overly obvious or self-important. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes provide a brilliant analogue to the character-driven drama. Both the supernatural and the personal enhance each other in a mutually beneficial way.
A Debated Finale
Together’s ending, which remains unspoiled, has created disagreement on the movie's final takeaway about enmeshed dynamics. Reports indicate that single viewers have understood the narrative as a compelling reason for remaining unattached. Conversely, certain partners having disagreements found that the film actually helped them reconcile.
Whether you’re single or coupled up, your own response could act as a revealing measure of how you think about commitment. Will the conclusion plant feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a positive outlook on love? Will you identify in either protagonist and scream at your TV, or simply look at your other half and utter, “I understand that choice”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an exploration you can experience at this very moment.
Together is available to watch on Hulu at present.
