Director Sarah Watts, who grew up gay in a Jehovah's Witness community, explicitly created the story as the lesbian coming-of-age narrative she wished to see as a teen, with co-writer Mark Slutsky framing it as an important queer romance that explores how religion stifles queer existence. This intent manifests in scenes of door-to-door witnessing, Kingdom Hall meetings, family pressure to conform, and the characters' forced choices between faith and love, positioning the JW setting as inherently oppressive to non-heterosexual identity.

Casting prioritizes fitting young actors for the leads without evident forced diversity mandates, though supporting roles include some ethnic variety like Hasani Freeman as Jaime's accepting friend Nate. Audience and critical reception highlights its niche appeal as subtle drama rather than overt messaging, with strong Rotten Tomatoes scores but limited mainstream backlash or 'go woke' critiques, reflecting its indie status over broad cultural flashpoint.