Much of the film takes place in bland, suburban Kansas settings. This "American Ordinary" backdrop heightens the horror of the underlying subject matter, suggesting that such trauma often hides in plain sight. The Intersection of Trauma and Identity
is a haunting exploration of childhood trauma and its diverging effects on the human psyche. Based on the novel by Scott Heim, the story follows two boys, Brian and Neil, who share a common past but remember it in vastly different ways. Neil (Joseph Gordon-Levitt):