Brooklyn Sudano wanted to make a documentary revolving around her mother, Donna Summer, after realizing there was more to her than people knew.

[4][5] Williams and Sudano did not want the project to be a puff piece, instead exploring difficult aspects of Summer's life and career.

[6] Sudano and Williams opted to use Summer speaking in her own words, using audiotapes recorded for her memoir Ordinary Girl.

[7] In December 2021, it was announced Roger Ross Williams and Brooklyn Sudano would direct a documentary film revolving around Donna Summer.

"[14] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 62 out of 100, based on 6 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".