In a March 2001 interview with "Shout" magazine, Fairuza Balk stated that out of all her films, this was her favorite. She indicated that "this film is very close to my heart. As a girl, I was very much like my character Shade. I was shy. I was a loner."
The letter telling Nora about Trudi's absences from school gives the name of the school principal as Allison Anders, the director of the film.
Although based on Richard Peck's novel "Don't Look and It Won't Hurt", much of the film is informed by director Allison Anders' own experiences growing up with a single mother.
Set in the fictional New Mexico town of Laramie, it's actually mostly filmed in Deming.