The film was based on Ross' s moving to Alabama in 2009 to live with the families he would be filming, and to almost a decade of observations among their community.( in contrast, when James Agee and Walker Evans went to Alabama in 1936 to document the poverty of the Depression there, they only spent three weeks .)
Renowned Thai director Apichatpong Weerasethakul is listed as a creative consultant on this film. His movies take a slow, watch life happen type of approach as well.