Consider this a test for partners in committed relationships who are fans of scary movies: Sit down with your loved one and watch Together. The independent film success of 2025 recently had its launch on a streaming platform on the Hulu service. At first glance, it could look like conventional biological terror, but within Together lies a intense contemplation about our choices in loving each other.
A Debut Feature Investigating Relationship Dynamics
Together is the introductory feature for director Michael Shanks. It stars the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as a couple named Tim and Millie, an unmarried couple that have remained a couple for a decade. Having wed in actuality in 2017, the actors bring a particular energy to their portrayals, skillfully embodying both the good and bad of a committed partnership.
The narrative commences when the couple transition from the metropolis to the countryside for her career. A familiar plot device, admittedly, but that’s primarily where the cliches conclude. Together transforms into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the couple's dynamic as it is a film about physical terror.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While walking near their new home, a tempest descends, and the protagonists tumble into an underground cave. After spending the night there and eventually escaping, a supernatural entity begins influencing the pair. This force compels a otherworldly bond between them that goes far beyond simple connection.
The whole movie is a methodically building of scares, interspersing elements of fever-dream horrors, disturbing (but never too gross) physical transformations, and surprisingly comedic interactions (sometimes amidst something grotesque). Michael Shanks skillfully blends these components expertly and presents them in a gradually swelling aura of dread.
Complex Characterizations
A large part of Together is only the two lead actors, and they masterfully render manifold depths to the partnership at the film's core. Her self-assurance and emotional bond is waning due to a emotional and physical gap. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his hesitance to pursue anything but his struggling artistic pursuits inexorably rises.
In contrast, Tim's character feels trapped and cut off by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve left the city and removed from his support system. He is terrified of the notion of utterly sacrificing his sense of self in his partner. This fear is further exacerbated by the reality he can’t drive and needs Millie for mobility.
The director's cleverest decision in this movie avoids making one partner or the other the definite antagonist.
The couple grapple with the type of challenges that come with any relationship a decade in. At their core, they have affection for each other. They still laugh together, offer support, and are vulnerable at times. But beneath it all, there’s an inescapable undercurrent of doubt about their relationship.
Allegory and Meaning
While the supernatural forces in Together symbolize these fears of codependency and giving oneself over to a partner, the allegory avoids being clumsy or self-important. Instead, these visceral horror elements provide a brilliant analogue to the relationship narrative. Both the supernatural and the personal serve the other in harmony.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s conclusion, which is best experienced firsthand, has left audiences divided on the film’s ultimate message about codependent relationships. Accounts suggest that unattached audience members have interpreted the film as a strong argument for staying single. Conversely, some couples who were in conflict found that the film ultimately assisted them resolve their issues.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own reaction could act as a great barometer of how you perceive partnership. Will the conclusion plant a sense of discomfort and fear, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you recognize your own traits in either protagonist and feel frustration, or simply look at your other half and state, “I’d do that for you”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an experiment you can embark on at this very moment.
Together is streaming on Hulu now.
