The story follows Tom (portrayed by Tim Blake Nelson) and Beth Anne (Chloë Kerwin), a homeless father and his daughter living near a college in rural Ohio, as they try to survive the winter.

Henry Nelson started writing the screenplay during his final year at Oberlin College, with the intent to film it with one of his professors in the starring role.

[2] He originally intended for the main role of Tom to be portrayed by one of his music professors, but after sharing the screenplay with his father Tim Blake Nelson, the latter said that the part required "a real actor" and offered to star.

[6][7] In March 2022, it was confirmed that Chloë Kerwin, Grant Harvey, Gus Birney, and Jared Abrahamson also starred in the film, and that it had "recently wrapped production" in Oberlin.

[4] Production required flight training, but as the film did not have a high enough budget to cover the costs, Tim Blake Nelson paid for the lessons out of pocket.

She complimented Henry Nelson's direction for having the "finesse of someone far more experienced" and for the story's focus on "the kinds of lives many would rather not talk about", but found the final act to be "unfortunately undercooked" and "disappointing".

[15] In a review for Collider, Chase Hutchinson echoed the praise for Tim Blake Nelson and Kerwin, saying that "the duo of leads is what gives [the film] life", but was critical of some of the "slightly contrived" conflicts and "occasionally stilted" dialogue.