Most of your movies take place on the economic margins. You can feel every dollar that your characters spend, down to the last cent. Is that important to you to show?

Most definitely. I’m not in the most secure place myself right now, but I remember when I was not able to make rent. I remember those times in your 20s and 30s, and you’re scared. You’re down to your last five dollars. That’s a reality for a lot of people. But that becomes a trope in these movies that I would like to get away from. Maybe in the next film we’ll talk about crypto or something and not show someone hiding a wad of cash in the VCR.

It’s been a brutal period for adult dramas at the box office. Are you worried about the future of these films?

I’m very concerned. I wish I were Nolan or Tarantino, and I could do more to get the message out, but I do what I can. I want people to go to theaters if they feel safe. They need you right now. We lost lots of independent theaters during the pandemic, and we are going to lose more movie palaces. We shouldn’t lose them just because we have a more convenient way of watching things. Streaming is not a better way of watching things. It’s just more convenient.