‘Horrific’ relationships: Alison Brie and Dave Franco explore codependency in their movie

Relationship advice often centers on the idea of growing together to avoid drifting apart. But in the horror movie Together, growing apart isn’t an option for one couple.

Alison Brie stars as Millie, a teacher who’s ready to take the next step in her relationship: marriage. Her partner of more than a decade, Tim, played by Dave Franco, is an aspiring musician too paralyzed by his emotional baggage to commit.

When Millie accepts a new job in a small town, Tim reluctantly follows. The two hope a change of scenery might mend their strained relationship. But it’s not until a hike that goes awry – and a storm forces them to seek shelter in a mysterious cave – that they become closer than ever.

What begins as a relationship on the rocks turns into an unsettling test of intimacy.

Brie and Franco, who have been married since 2017, told NPR’s Ayesha Rascoe that their solid foundation is what inspired the pair to take on this project.

“I think if we didn’t feel like we had a healthy relationship we would never have signed up to play these characters,” Brie explained.

“Even going into this process with a healthy relationship, we also said this could end in divorce or we’ll be more codependent than ever. Luckily it’s the latter,” Franco added.

An uneasy mirror of long-term love

Beneath its eerie plot and dark humor, Together explores deeper anxieties in modern relationships.

“It’s an exploration of fears of monogamy and toxic codependency. It can either sound romantic or it can sound terrifying,” Brie explained.

“There is this idea of losing oneself in a relationship. And sometimes, yeah, it’s beautiful. But I certainly think there are a lot of people who are scared about losing their identity in a relationship and I see how that could be a scary idea.”

Franco recognized that people could view his relationship with Brie as codependent which, he said, gave him a more nuanced view of the film.

“The movie isn’t necessarily saying codependency is good or bad. I think different audience members will take different things from it. We’ve talked to single people who have watched this film and they say this is a very strong argument for being single. Then we talked to a couple who saw the film and the week leading up to the screening, they were in a fight and then they said the film actually helped them make up.”