Shea Whigham's character (Eugene) is partly based on Gur Bentwich, Israeli writer/director and friend of Etgar Keret who wrote "Kneller's Happy Campers". He is also partly based on Eugene Hutz, front-man of Gogol Bordello and friend of director Goran Dukic.
Eugene (Shea Whigham) isn't smoking pot throughout the film, he's actually smoking tobacco cigarettes. Actor Whigham noticed director Goran Dukic smoked loose tobacco and rolled his own cigarettes and carried it in a plastic bag, and said that's what he wanted Eugene to smoke.
During the scene between Zia, Eugene, and Nanuk at the train car, an instrumental version of Gloomy Sunday by Billie Holiday can be heard playing in the background. This song is explicitly about suicide.
Sarah Roemer's debut.