Alison Brie and Dave Franco have worked together on several projects over the years, from The Disaster Artist to Somebody I Used to Know, but their latest film, Together, is unlike anything they’ve done before. Written and directed by Australian filmmaker Michael Shanks in his impressive debut, the genre-blurring relationship thriller has already made waves with a perfect 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a buzzy Sundance premiere. It’s a movie that will make you laugh out loud, scream, cringe, cover your face, and possibly rethink your own relationship.
Shot in just 21 intense days, the film follows Brie and Franco’s characters, an estranged couple, as they are forced into survival mode, with a supernatural force draining their life force if they aren’t physically together.
“Every time we work together, we get a little stronger as a couple. I just always fall a little more in love with you, honey” – Alison
They’re tested physically and emotionally and must confront the rawest parts of their relationship in real time. It’ll make you think about codependency and toxic relationships, and how they can leave bruises on your life. For Franco, the film left real bruises. “There were a lot of bruises that were supernatural to Dave,” Brie joked. “He’d be like, ‘Oh, my butt hurts, I’ve got this ache in my hip,’ and I’d look and be like, ‘That’s not an ache – that’s a massive bruise.’”
The role pushed the couple to their limit – and brought them even closer. “I’m sure it unlocked a new level of intimacy,” Brie said. “Every time we work together we get a little stronger as a couple. I just always fall a little more in love with you, honey.”
“Getting to see different facets of Dave in his performance is really special. This is the most intimately and most intensely that we’ve worked together on screen as actors,” she continued. “Or off screen,” Dave added, “most intense thing we’ve ever done in our life … We feel so comfortable with each other. And when you’re that at ease on set, you feel liberated to take risks. That makes you better as an actor. That’s when you do weird stuff – and that’s the best stuff.”
© GettyAccording to Shanks, the intensity was by design. “We were dragging them across gravel, slamming them into walls, often in the nude,” he said, laughing. “And they were totally game for it.” As a first-time director, he was blown away by how committed the couple was to the brutal honesty the script demanded. “They were the perfect partners.”
But Together isn’t just about physical endurance. It’s about emotional survival, too, miscommunication, stubbornness, vulnerability, and the gut-level honesty that comes with trying to make love last. “Some people have told me the film helped them work through stuff with their partner,” Shanks shared. “And one guy said, ‘My wife begged me not to say this, but I think this movie is about us.’”
Brie and Franco aren’t just great scene partners, they’re also hilariously in sync off camera. When asked for a red flag in dating, Dave didn’t hesitate: “Someone who can’t apologize. There are people who never take ownership when they’re wrong – just say you’re sorry. It’s not that hard.” Brie chimed in with her green flag: “Someone who tells you how they feel right away. No games. They just say, ‘I like you. I want to see you again.”
© GettyTogether hits theaters July 30, and trust us, you don’t want to miss it.
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