"It’s about this kid who’s incredibly sensitive, who is seen as strange, and had this real affinity for animals, which is one of my favorite qualities about his character. And, you know, I’m always asked, “Is this autobiogrphaical?” And, no. I mean, films… you always write about what you know. Definitly it’s not autobiographical. But what I did really want to explore here was how, um, young men, American men, you know, I don’t know, men in general, I guess are… how they have to kind of shut down that sensitive side of themselves in, uh, especially in rural areas, or maybe just because that’s what I know. But there’s a point where you have to kind of, you know, harden yourself, and I wanted to tell this story about this kid who was either unwilling or unable to do that. He’s someone that walks around with no agenda, um, and no mask, you know, he’s incredibly vulnerable, uh, because of that. And, uh, just sort of track him and see, you know, how that’s a threat even, and then how people, you know, work to sort of kill that part of him."
