Fleeing from Northern Ireland after realizing she was pregnant, 19-year-old Taryn finds refuge with her aunt Kim in Baltimore.

[1][3] Porterfield had already known Ned Oldham for several years before casting him as Bill, and Amy Belk went to college with Kim Taylor in the 1990s.

Porterfield first met Hannah Gross and Deragh Campbell when they attended the premiere of his previous film, Putty Hill (2010), but did not keep in touch with them.

Club gave the film a grade A−, and wrote: "Drenched in the evening glow of its urban and suburban backdrops, Darker comes alive in the dark, when its characters are drowning their sorrows in song, the sauce, or conversation.

"[6] Sheri Linden of the Los Angeles Times wrote: "It's a story of contained chaos, quietly observed — one that catches fire more in retrospect than in the viewing.