Sophie, let’s start with the genesis: how did this project begin?
Sophie Brooks: It really does feel like a miracle when an indie gets made. We almost made this movie in 2020 and thought, “this is easy,” but it ended up taking another four and a half years. It was early COVID, and my agent encouraged me to write something we could shoot in lockdown. Molly and I were already close friends—we were in a pod—and one weekend we decided to develop the story together. I wrote the first draft in a two-and-a-half-week fever dream in my childhood bedroom. Five years later, here …

Molly, you were involved from the beginning. What was the development process like from your side?
Molly Gordon: We’d improvise scenes and then Sophie would write from those. Then we’d give notes and she’d revise. It felt like doing theater in the woods—nobody was working on anything else at the time. It was a gift, especially for me as an actor. I haven’t had many chances to stretch into darker, messier territory, and getting to explore the line between being crazy and being driven mad—especially as a woman—was really fulfilling.

It felt chaotic in the best way

Let’s talk about that first car scene. It’s visually dynamic and layered, and it really sells their chemistry right away.
Logan Lerman: It was so hot that day. I was sweating nonstop, but it was also fun. The whole point of that scene is to have a good time and set up the characters, even though shooting in a car is always tricky. There were subtle choices that helped hint at their dynamic.

MG: That scene felt very personal. I always wear hats (like, even on dates), and Sophie told me to lose it for this one. Our costume designer put me in that dress, and I still tried to sneak in a hat to hide. But then he takes a call, and suddenly I want to be seen. Taking it off and putting in a hair clip while driving is totally chaotic, but also intentional. Sophie was flipping the trope: men are usually the “good drivers” in films, and she wanted to subvert that.

SB: Honestly, we did the least improv in that scene because of all the logistics. We had follow cars, timing, camera choreography. The hat became a storytelling device. We had a nice beat change when she takes it off. And yes, we’re hoping no one’s wondering how she’s steering while her hands are in her hair!

Geraldine, Max has this great arc: comic at first but later grounding. What was your approach?Geraldine Viswanathan: Max is ride-or-die. If Iris is going down, Max is going with her. When Iris says, “Should we kill him?” we were constantly playing with whether she’s serious or not. Max doesn’t judge; she just does what needs doing. That wasn’t hard to tap into.

SB: We leaned into every trope about women—including witches. I was obsessed with Charmed growing up and genuinely believed I’d become a witch after puberty. That never happened, unfortunately. But it felt fun to explore that sincerely. Max and Iris have the kind of friendship where you can throw out “Should we kill him?” and walk it back safely. That trust lets them go full witchy together. It adds texture without turning into parody.

The film is also visually rich and stylized. What went into developing that look?
SB: My DP and I storyboarded everything. The first act is lush and romantic with a lot of handheld and movement. Then act two gets more static: Logan’s character is tied up and Molly’s the only one moving. We worked hard to keep that visually interesting despite the limitations. By the third act, the visual language blends both styles. We also focused on color and warmth. When the audience first arrives at the house, we want them to believe the love story.

MG: Once we were in that room, the claustrophobia kicked in. We used two cameras and let takes run long. Logan and I were just alone in there, reacting in real time. Sophie gave us space to go deep—or go completely off the rails. She’d gently call cut when we drifted too far.

LL: A lot of rehearsal helped. We tried different versions: am I really scared? Am I bluffing? Sophie gave us room to experiment so she could choose the right balance in the edit. Once we were comfortable, we hit a rhythm. We’d shout over each other, get messy; it felt alive. And shooting in chronological order helped. You don’t have to recreate what happened yesterday—you just did it.

GV: I came in partway through filming, which actually helped. That first scene where I arrive, I really was catching up in real time. It brought energy and a sense of discovery. Plus, we kept breaking from laughing… especially with John. It felt chaotic in the best way.

There’s a lot of great music in the film. How did that come together?
SB: I made a playlist while writing and used it when pitching the movie. Some of those tracks made it in. Jillian Ennis, our music supervisor, was amazing… she found great alternatives when rights were too expensive. The score leans into a country vibe, and we wanted the needle drops to feel a little early-2000s throwback. We loved those moments in movies when a great pop song just hits.

Logan, I have to ask: were you really tied up?
LL: I was! And I loved it. The only thing I cared about was the bed frame. Once that was sorted, I was good. People sometimes forgot the keys, so I may have missed a lunch or two. But compared to an action movie? Being in bed all day talking? That’s a dream for an actor.