Director Luca Guadagnino and screenwriter David Kajganich added the 1977 Berlin setting during the German Autumn to layer in themes of generational guilt, political revolution, and female independence from church and father figures, with the coven’s internal power struggles and blood rituals serving as metaphors for matriarchal transformation. Guadagnino stated the film is “a movie about the world of females” and a “fierce showcase of the female artistic experience,” while deliberately casting Tilda Swinton in the sole significant male role (Dr. Josef Klemperer, an elderly psychotherapist) using prosthetics—including fake male genitalia—to ensure “there will always be this element of femininity at its core” and prevent any male perspective from intruding.