Due to its positive portrayal of Asperger Syndrome and other autism spectrum conditions, this movie has been frequently screened at autistic conferences and support group meetings for those on the spectrum.
The project was originally planned for Steven Spielberg, but due to his workload it eventually landed in the hands of critically acclaimed Norwegian director Petter Næss. This became his first US production.
Rachel Weisz was the first choice to star in the film alongside Josh Harnett. She was cast, however she had to drop out before filming started due to schedule conflicts.
In the first group scene, Donald talks about numbers as he stares at the microwave oven countdown. When the camera cuts away from the digital readout, the one/second beep of the microwave can still be heard but when the camera returns to the readout, fewer seconds elapse than beeps heard.