A lot of the footage of the couple was shot by D.A. Pennebaker who had also stayed on the island of Hydra.
Nick Broomfield has a track record of inserting himself into his own documentaries. In this instance, it was particularly pertinent as Broomfield himself was an ex-lover of Marianne Ihlen.
Marianne Ihlen was the inspiration behind Leonard Cohen's songs 'So Long Marianne', 'Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye' and 'Bird on a Wire'.
Nick Broomfield got the idea of making the film after the death of Marianne Ihlen when he realized that he'd let a significant part of his life pass unmarked.
Marianne Ihlen actually encouraged a young Nick Broomfield to take the plunge and make his first film.