'Together,' the film that shows how inseparable a couple can be: horror, obsession, and codependency in theaters

Dave Franco and Alison Brie explore the other side of the romantic fantasy of "becoming one" with their partner in 'Together,' a film that takes that idea literally and questions the boundaries between love, identity, and codependency.

"The script seemed risky and strange to me, and that made it even more exciting," says Brie, who in real life is married to Franco.

In ' Together'—which premieres in Colombia this Thursday, July 31—the idea of finding your other half isn't as romanticized or idealized as it is in conventional films; here, that search becomes an intense, disturbing, and body-horror-filled experience that viscerally captures what it would truly be like to be united with the person you love.

Tim (Franco), an emerging musician, and Millie (Brie), an elementary school teacher, move to a small town where they don't know anyone in the midst of a relationship crisis. While he begins to question whether he's sacrificed his own dreams to follow her, she begins to perceive him as a burden. In an attempt to reconnect, they decide to embark on an activity that takes them to explore a cave, where a mysterious supernatural presence will change their bond forever.

The inspiration for this story came to director and screenwriter Michael Shanks after reflecting on his 16 years with his wife and seeing most of his friends in stable, monogamous relationships.

"There's something a little terrifying about that, about realizing, as I did, that I no longer remember what my life was like before her (his wife). Thinking about that commitment led me to imagine: What if we took that idea to the literal, physical, almost carnal extreme?" he explains.

Tim and Millie feel trapped in their relationship, but neither wants to let go. Their need for each other begins to become unhealthy, and while their bodies seek to erase their boundaries, they struggle to maintain their individuality.

"Radiohead's 'Where I End and You Begin' was also ringing in my ears," Shanks says of the track, in which Thom Yorke repeats, almost like a mantra, "I'll eat you alive." That phrase encapsulates the kind of obsessive bond the director explores in the film, which blends comedy, horror, and existential drama.

In real life, Brie and Franco have been together for 13 years , and participating in a project that questions comfort and codependency in relationships seemed like an interesting challenge, both from a production and acting perspective.

"When I first read the script, I thought our real-life relationship could contribute a lot to the characters' relationships. We thought that being on screen together would give us a sense of that story and the weight of our relationship," Franco says.

However, neither of them managed to identify with their characters, whose connection is far removed from their real-life one. "Tim and Millie have a very tense relationship and very poor communication, and I think that's one of our strengths," says the 'Now You See Me' actor.

But the idea of having a real-life couple play these two characters also responded to practical reasons: the complexity of the shoot required the actors to spend long hours together, literally glued together with prosthetics that prevented them from even going to the bathroom separately.

"This is the most intense collaboration we've ever had. It could have all gone wrong, but in the end it was one of the most fun experiences we've ever had on a shoot," Franco noted.

Throughout the film, Shanks also explores metaphors about living with a dead person, being with someone for comfort, and fear of loneliness rather than love. "There's a line where Alison says to Dave, 'Are we together because we love each other or because we're used to each other?' That idea scared me a lot," the director confesses.