In childhood, Laxton accompanied his mother, a noted costume designer, to film sets.
He reported being inspired by the rhythm of chaos and calm on the movie set, which played a significant role in his decision to enter the industry.
A relatively low budget of 1.5 million dollars[5] forced Laxton to forgo equipment such as underwater camera gear and search for innovative cinematographic solutions.
The film features a tragic love story set in 1970s New York City, between Clementine "Tish" Rivers (played by KiKi Layne) and wood artist Alonzo "Fonny" Hunt (played by Stephan James).
In discussing the success of the movie, which has been described as "trading docu-realism for crafted visual poetry of the highest level,"[7] Laxton and Jenkins accredited their years-long process of conversation and collaboration.