Michael Shanks directs Alison Brie and Dave Franco in Together: “This is an optimistic film about love”

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Raquel Laguna/ SUCOPRESS. Michael Shanks directs Alison Brie and Dave Franco in the upcoming horror movie Together. In this interview, Michael talks about the challenges he faced directing his first feature film, about working with Alison and Brie, and about love. A breakout at both Sundance and SXSW, Together is one of the year’s most anticipated horror films. The story follows Tim and Millie (Franco and Brie), a couple at a crossroads who move to the countryside, only to encounter a mysterious, unnatural force that threatens not just their relationship—but their very flesh. Together hits theaters nationwide on July 30.

Transcript

00:00What inspired the idea for Together?

00:03Well, I've been with my partner for over 16 years,

00:07and, you know, it's a lovely thing to be with my partner,

00:10but there is a point in a relationship where you realize

00:12you're so fully committing to somebody

00:14that you are genuinely sharing your life with them.

00:17And that was a moment where I thought, this is kind of scary.

00:19Like, I don't know where I end and she begins.

00:22We have the same friends, we eat the same food,

00:24we breathe the same air, like, what a strange thing.

00:27We've been together since I was 17,

00:30so I've never been an adult without this person in my life.

00:34And, you know, I was kind of focusing on the anxieties

00:37and the fears of that and thought, oh, this could be,

00:40this is a theme I'd like to discuss, like to explore

00:43within the realms of something kind of nasty and sticky and gross.

00:47What did Dave and Alison bring to this movie,

00:53like, with their amazing performances?

00:56Oh, yeah, thank you.

00:57They are, I'm so happy with their performances in their film.

00:59They're incredible.

01:00Well, they brought so much.

01:01They brought their own history because they're married.

01:04The couple in the film has been together for over 10 years.

01:06They've been together for over 10 years.

01:08And they brought, like, an emotional reality

01:11and emotional history to the roles.

01:12And also, like, this is my first feature film,

01:15but they've been working in this realm for so long

01:17and they brought this experience and professionalism.

01:20And they had a shorthand with one another

01:23that we would not have been able to make the film without.

01:25They are the reason this film exists.

01:28Being this your first feature film, as you said,

01:31what was the biggest challenge for you?

01:33The thing that I was scared of going into this film

01:36wasn't, like, the horror sequences or the action sequences.

01:39I was like, this is fun.

01:40Like, that's kind of, like, my area of expertise.

01:42But there is, like, genuine, like, emotional sincerity

01:45and a real earnestness to sections of the film.

01:48And I was really scared of not knowing really, as a director,

01:52how to direct these scenes where these characters are crying and emoting.

01:56And basically, if you stripped all the horror out of the film,

01:59I wanted this to be a relationship drama.

02:01And this is a film just about a relationship.

02:03And I can direct a jump scare.

02:04I can direct, you know, but, like,

02:06when I know that Dave needs to cry and really bare his soul,

02:09I didn't know how to do that.

02:10But luckily, again, they just,

02:12we did the first take and Dave nailed it.

02:15And I'm like, oh, okay, we're fine.

02:16I don't need to be scared about this.

02:17What do you hope audiences feel or take away after watching together?

02:23I hope it makes people break up and ruin their relationships.

02:28No, I think that...

02:29It's like a comedy.

02:31Exactly.

02:32No, I think that, I think it's a date night film.

02:35It's a film that's about love.

02:36It's, in my mind, an optimistic film about how it might be scary to fall in love,

02:41but maybe it's worth it.

02:43Maybe it's so lovely.

02:44And kind of the top line thing is,

02:47I hope that audiences come away having a good time.

02:49Like, this was a film designed with an audience in mind that, like,

02:51it's a little scary.

02:52It's a little funny.

02:53It's hopefully kind of a thrill ride that you leave the theater

02:56feeling like you're floating on air and think, oh, that was good.

02:58As an artist, as a director, writer, what do you enjoy the most?

03:03And when is the moment during the day you feel more inspired to write?

03:10There's a Dorothy Parker quote that says,

03:12I hate writing and I love having written.

03:15And I totally agree with that.

03:16Like, I love when I look back and I'm like, oh, I wrote some stuff.

03:19But the writing process is sometimes, like, really, really,

03:22like, just pulling teeth or something.

03:26So my favorite moment of making a film is on set,

03:29like being live with the cast and live with the crew.

03:33You know, there was one take in this film where we had a makeup gag

03:37where something had to be pulled apart,

03:39and it took hours to set up, and we had one take of it.

03:41And so the pressure on set, everybody's holding their breath,

03:44and we do the take, and it worked beautifully.

03:47And I called Cut and said to the set, everybody high-five.

03:51And we all high-fived, and we're all like, yes!

03:53Like, that's sort of the joy of this film,

03:55is how much fun it was creating it with all these amazing artists

03:59that I'm so lucky to have worked with.

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