Alison BrieandDave Francoare hopefully just at the start of a long and fruitful life of artistic collaboration. The couple, like Godard and Miéville or Fincher and Chaffin before them, and unlike the majority of spouses in the world, truly enjoy working together in the professional and artistic space. The pair (named the most attractive couple in the world by the just-made-up Obviously Magazine) made some very good films together, either as actors or with one of them as writer or director —The LEGO Movie, The Little Hours, The Disaster Artist, The Rental, andSomebody I Used to Know.
In January, their latest film will have its world premiereat the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, and it sounds like a doozy. It’s calledTogether, and the available image for the film makes it seem pretty harrowing. Check it out and the synopsis below:
In our interview with Franco and Brie forSomebody I Used to Know, the couple sweetly detailed how nice it is to work together. “It just makes me honestly feel invincible in a way where, if I’m doing something with Alison, because we’re doing it together and we have each other to lean on, like, worst case scenario, we’re in it together, we’ll comfort each other, and it’ll all be fine,“Franco told us. That’s freakin' adorable, but a far cry from the couple they play inTogether. It appears that Brie and Franco are the only two actors in the film aside from Damon Herriman (Justified, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood), soTogethertakes its title pretty seriously. The synopsis reads as follows:
With a move to the countryside already testing the limits of a couple’s relationship, a supernatural encounter begins an extreme transformation of their love, their lives, and their flesh.
In a brief “Meet the Artist” video(something the Sundance Institute often does with new filmmakers),Togetherdirector Michael Shanks was tight-lipped about the movie, but did share some pages from his storyboard, saying, “I hope that doesn’t spoil it too much.” you may find that image below…
Alison Brie Describes Her and Danny Pudi’s Special Friendship and How They Hang
Brie stars in the new series Apples Never Fall, and took time to discuss her friendship with Community co-star Danny Pudi.
‘Together’ Uses Horror to Illustrate a Difficult Relationship
Sundance programmer Charlie Sextro provides some invaluable analysis of the film:
“Writer-director Michael Shanks approaches horror with a devilish exuberance that relishes in creating wildly expressive nightmarish moments. His feature-length directorial debut pulls off an impressive progression of body horror freak-outs as it follows a dysfunctional couple’s big move away from the city to a more isolated existence. As they lose contact with home, friends, and their sense of self beyond their troubled dynamic, Shanks’ clever script grounds their emotional turmoil within its extreme take on the horrors of codependent relationships.”
“With this couple, things will have to get worse — like a lot worse — before they get better,” continues Sextro. “Bringing an unquantifiable chemistry to their roles, Dave Franco and Alison Brie give their all to this freakish world, diving headfirst into a physical and emotional maelstrom.” Michael Shanks' earlier script,Hotel Hotel Hotel Hotel,was featured on the 2021 Black List.
Dave Franco, Alison Brie, Mike Cowap, Andrew Mittman, Erik Feig, and Max Silva are producing. Franco stars in another film at Sundance this year,Bubble & Squeak, a comedy with Himesh Patel, Steven Yeun, Sarah Goldberg, and Matt Berry, named after the delightfully named cabbage and potato dish. MovieWeb will be at Sundance, so watch this space for updates.You can find showtimes and tickets forTogetherat the Sundance site here.
