I also wanted to take a picture of the LA gay arts scene. It was important to me to present a world where being gay was normal. It's the straight man in the movie who is ultimately suicidal. We use iconic gay poet Dennis Cooper, feature music from Pansy Division, etc.

I think the most difficult part of the film was trying to capture a certain moment in youth when the dividing line between callow and heartfelt is so very narrow and constantly shifting. That's a difficult and dangerous place to dwell for too long, and I hope we pulled it off.