The filmmakers were 16 and 17 years old at the time of production. The film was later reworked to incorporate a noir technique.
Much of the dialogue in the film was improvised or written on the spot, which may contribute to missing story beats and the appearance of plot holes.
David Groznik, the actor who played Aleksei, suggested making the character Russian in order to avoid having to perform an English accent.
In the film, Aleksei, one of the main characters, is shot five times by a thug working for the film's main antagonist, Salvatore. This was done as a nod to the real-life death of Tupac Shakur, who was also shot five times in a drive-by shooting in 1996. The actor who played the thug (Zan Sintic) suggested the idea of Aleksei being shot as many times as Tupac, as a tribute to the late rapper.