The film garnered praise from Eric Kohn of Indiewire, who said Decker's career was "one to keep an eye on",[8] and Peter Debruge of Variety, who wrote that "Decker has fashioned the kind of feature debut the film industry simply doesn’t support, but would do well to encourage: a visually poetic, virtually free-form groove in which emotion, rather than narrative, guides viewers through a young woman’s visit to a Balkan folk music camp.
[2] In early 2014, she completed her second theatrical film, the experimental erotic thriller Thou Wast Mild and Lovely, starring Sophie Traub and Decker's frequent collaborator Joe Swanberg.
[12] In his review, Kohn gave the film a B+ and commented, "Its labyrinthine characteristics suggest the unholy marriage of Ingmar Bergman and David Lynch.
While nowhere near the same level of refinement as those giants, Decker concocts a wholly enveloping vision of isolation told with a grimly poetic style that wanders all over the place but never stops playing by its own eerie rulebook.
"[13] In September, 2014, it was announced that Butter on the Latch and Thou Wast Mild and Lovely had been picked up for a theatrical and VOD distribution by Cinelicious Pics with a planned release set for November, 2014.
[10][14] Decker has also appeared as an actor in many independent films, including Joe Swanberg's Uncle Kent, Onur Tukel's Richard's Wedding, Saturday Morning Mystery, the romantic tragedy Loves Her Gun, and Stephen Cone's Black Box.
[17][18] It features Molly Parker and Miranda July, and introduces 19-year-old Helena Howard as a troubled acting student whose "class exercises become increasingly immersive and personal".
"[22] Decker cites Antichrist, Days of Heaven, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and Silent Light as her primary influences, as well as the novel East of Eden, director Joe Swanberg, and frequent collaborator Sarah Small.