Here's a challenge for those in enduring partnerships who enjoy scary movies: Sit down with your loved one and view Together. The critically acclaimed 2025 movie has now made its streaming debut on the Hulu service. At first glance, it might appear like typical biological terror, but beneath Together resides a intense examination about how we choose to love one another.
An Introductory Film Delving into The Nuances of Love
Together marks the first full-length movie for director Michael Shanks. It showcases Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Millie and Tim, a pair who are not married that have stayed together for a decade. United in marriage in actuality in 2017, Franco and Brie contribute a special spark to their portrayals, expertly portraying both the strengths and weaknesses of a long-term relationship.
The story begins when Millie and Tim relocate from the metropolis to the rural area for professional reasons. A somewhat stereotypical story element, of course, but that’s mostly where the conventions end. Together transforms into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the couple's dynamic as it is a movie featuring biological frights.
A Paranormal Spark
While hiking near their new home, a tempest descends, and Millie and Tim fall into an hole in the earth. After a night spent there and eventually escaping, a supernatural entity takes hold of the duo. This force compels a paranormal intimacy between them that goes well past simple connection.
The whole movie is a methodically building horror experience, interspersing moments of fever-dream horrors, unsettling (but tastefully done) body horror, and genuinely funny dialogue (sometimes during something grotesque). The director orchestrates these parts expertly and delivers them in a consistently growing atmosphere of fear.
Nuanced Portrayals
A significant portion of Together is solely Brie and Franco, and they deftly portray manifold depths to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Millie's sense of self and sense of connection is waning due to a distance. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his reluctance to focus on anything other than his failing musical ambitions slowly bubbles to the surface.
In contrast, Tim's character senses confinement and separated by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve relocated rural and removed from his network of friends. He dreads the notion of utterly sacrificing his individual identity in Millie. This fear is intensified by the reality he does not operate a vehicle and relies on Millie for mobility.
The film's most intelligent aspect is that he refrains from painting either of his characters the definite antagonist.
The couple grapple with the type of challenges that arise in most partnerships after ten years. Fundamentally, they still love one another. They share moments of joy, provide solace, and are vulnerable at times. But under the surface, there’s an persistent current of uncertainty about their bond.
Allegory and Meaning
While the paranormal elements in Together represent these concerns of unhealthy attachment and fully committing to a partner, the allegory avoids being overly obvious or pretentious. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments offer a perfect parallel to the character-driven drama. Both the supernatural and the personal work together symbiotically.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s conclusion, which won’t be spoiled here, has left audiences divided on the film’s ultimate message about enmeshed dynamics. Accounts suggest that those not in relationships have interpreted the film as a compelling reason for staying single. Conversely, a few pairs having disagreements found that the film ended up guiding them to resolve their issues.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own interpretation could function as a revealing measure of how you perceive partnership. Will the finale sow anxiety and horror, or a positive outlook on love? Will you see yourself in one of the characters and scream at your TV, or simply look at your other half and utter, “I understand that choice”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an experiment you can embark on today.
Together is streaming on Hulu now.
