On a DVD extra, director Chloé Zhao said of the tight budget, light plotting, and neo-realist style casting, "We're capturing truth - because truth is the only thing we can afford." The production used mostly local residents as actors, and, according to Zhao, 80% of the story depicted is true to the actual life of the young man playing Johnny Winters (John Reddy). The house that Winters lives in is the house that Reddy lived in, and Reddy, also one of 25 children to one father, has many of his real family members playing members of his family. In fact, the man shown delivering the eulogy for Winters' father is Reddy's actual father.
Chloé Zhao's directorial film debut (feature length).
In an interview with James Ponsoldt, director Chloe Zhao said she was traumatized by the process of getting the film made.
Director Chloe Zhao spent 4 years getting the film made.