We present a dare for long-term couples who are fans of scary movies: Sit down with your significant other and view Together. The critically acclaimed 2025 movie just made its online premiere via Hulu. On the surface, it could look like typical body horror, but inside Together lies a intense contemplation about the ways we decide to love our partners.
An Introductory Film Delving into Partnership Complexities
Together is 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, a pair who are not married that have stayed together for over ten years. United in marriage in reality in 2017, the actors infuse a particular energy to their roles, masterfully depicting both the good and bad of a enduring union.
The narrative commences when Millie and Tim transition from the big city to the rural area for Millie’s job. A commonly used plot device, of course, but that’s largely where the conventions end. Together becomes as much a psychological exploration of the pair’s relationship as it is a movie featuring biological frights.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While hiking near their country house, a violent storm occurs, and the two discover an hole in the earth. After a night spent there and finally finding a way out, a mysterious influence begins influencing the couple. This force compels a paranormal intimacy between them that goes exceeding typical partnership.
The entire film is a gradually intensifying fright fest, weaving in bits of dreamlike terrors, unsettling (but not excessively graphic) physical transformations, and authentically humorous interactions (sometimes during something grotesque). Shanks orchestrates these parts seamlessly and wraps them up in a consistently growing atmosphere of fear.
Layered Performances
A significant portion of Together is solely the performances of its stars, and they deftly portray numerous complexities to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Her self-assurance and sense of connection is deteriorating due to a emotional and physical gap. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his unwillingness to chase only his floundering music career gradually emerges.
Tim, on the other hand feels trapped and separated by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve left the city and removed from his social circle. He fears the notion of utterly sacrificing his sense of self in another person. This fear is amplified by the fact he lacks a driver's license and is dependent on Millie for getting around.
The director's cleverest decision is that he avoids making Tim or Millie the obvious villain.
Both characters grapple with the type of challenges that arise in any relationship after ten years. At their core, they still love one another. They share moments of joy, offer support, and share intimately at times. But below this facade, there’s an persistent feeling of questioning about their relationship.
Allegory and Meaning
While the paranormal elements in Together represent these anxieties of codependency and giving oneself over to another person, the allegory never feels clumsy or self-important. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments provide a perfect parallel to the character-driven drama. Both the supernatural and the personal serve the other in a mutually beneficial way.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s ending, which won’t be spoiled here, has created disagreement on the movie's final takeaway about codependent relationships. It has been said that those not in relationships have interpreted the film as a strong argument for remaining unattached. Meanwhile, a few pairs who were in conflict found that the film actually helped them make up.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own response could potentially serve as a telling indicator of how you think about commitment. Will the finale plant a sense of discomfort and fear, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you recognize your own traits in Tim or Millie and scream at your TV, or simply glance toward your significant other and state, “I understand that choice”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an experiment you can undertake right now.
Together is currently playing on Hulu now.
