For Theis, the name happened to be a coincidence. Triet chose him after auditioning 40 actors, and the most suitable candidate just happened to have the same name as the character.

A pivotal scene in the movie features local police officers dropping a dummy — the same height and weight as Samuel — from the chalet's attic window while investigating the details of his death. For the female director, the inspiration for the falling man came from the animated opening sequence of the American period drama, Mad Men, in which a man is seen falling from a skyscraper.

There is a Chinese connection too. Despite the recent Beijing trip being Triet's first time in China, she is familiar with Chinese food, and one scene near the end of the film features the female protagonist dining with her attorney and several friends in a Chinese restaurant.

The movie has garnered widespread attention online, propelling it to the second slot in the national box-office charts of new movies on Friday, behind Hollywood CGI monster-fest Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.