Many of the scenes were filmed at Fairhaven High School in Fairhaven, Massachusetts in February 2022 during the school's February break. At this time, the area received a snow storm to the delight of the film crew since many of the scenes took place during a snowstorm. They took full advantage of the weather and the snow you see in the film was from an actual snowstorm.
On the day of shooting the scene where Angus calls home, Dominic Sessa flubbed a take because he didn't know how to dial, and had to be shown how. It hadn't occurred to anyone that he had never used a rotary phone before.
The entire film was shot in real, practical locations. No sets or soundstages were used.
Dominic Sessa's on-screen debut. Sessa had only acted on stage in plays at his alma mater, Deerfield Academy in Deerfield, Massachusetts, before acting in this movie. Unsatisfied with the traditional casting auditions, the filmmakers had decided to reach out to drama departments in the areas where they were location shooting and discovered Sessa in an open call audition. They also ended up using Deerfield Academy to film several scenes.
Even though the movie features a heavy film look reminiscent of the 1970s, it was entirely shot digitally on the ARRI Alexa Mini. All the hallmarks of celluloid film, like the film grain, halation, dirt, and gate weave, were added in post-production.
Alexander Payne: [road trip] The fifth Payne film to feature a road trip as a significant plot point. The others include Monsieur Schmidt (2002), Sideways (2004), The Descendants (2011), and Nebraska (2013).