There's something about being a teenager that's so sincere. Everything is more epic, like your first crush. I feel that it's not always portrayed very accurately.

Ever since I was little, I've felt very comfortable on a set. The time is stressful - being creative under time constraints. But there is an excitement and energy that you only have a certain amount of time to get what you want.

I never get myself in a situation where I don't have creative freedom.

I think being mediocre and in the middle would be the worst. It's more interesting to get strong reactions, and to have the mixture of people who get it and the people who don't get it. And to invite a dialogue.

Generally I just pick music that I like. That's the part I really enjoy: When I get permission for the songs I want and put them into the scenes. It's always hard when you're doing a low-budget film, so it's great when you can get all the music you want to get.

It’s about misunderstandings between people and places, being disconnected and looking for moments of connection. There are so many moments in life when people don’t say what they mean, when they are just missing each other, waiting to run into each other in a hallway.

I learned that from my dad: you put your heart into something, you have to protect it, what you're making.