In September, actresses Ellen Page and Kate Mara sat down with the director of their new film, “My Days of Mercy,” Tali Shalom Ezer, to discuss their experience making the movie.

The film, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, is a dark indie love story that follows the relationship between two women who are on opposite sides of the picket line at a capital punishment protest.

Page and Mara, who are both seasoned actresses, were looking for a project to work on together when they were sent the screenplay for “My Days of Mercy.”

They were immediately drawn to the unique love story and the complex characters. Page plays Lucy, a young woman whose entire life has been overshadowed by her father’s imprisonment on death row for allegedly killing her mother.

She spends her time protesting capital punishment with her siblings, Martha and Benjamin, who are played by Amy Seimetz and Charlie Shotwell, respectively.

It is at one of these protests that Lucy meets Mercy, played by Mara. Despite appearances, Mercy is not on the straight and narrow, and she is drawn to Lucy.

“I read the script, and it was like, ‘Obviously, I’m Mercy,'” Mara said.

“I think if I had read it with somebody else or somebody else came to me with this script, I wouldn’t naturally go, ‘Oh, I’m definitely Mercy,’ because I related in a lot of ways to Lucy as well, but our dynamic in general… it just sort of… yeah, we just fell into those naturally.”

For Page, the role of Lucy was an opportunity to portray a character who is numb and stuck in a state of depression.

“I loved the idea of getting to play this character that at the beginning is overcome with a numbness—like I can’t even imagine a positive emotion would feel good,” she said.

“Just beyond the level of depression and sort of [being] stuck in this time and almost stuck as a teenager on some level, and the idea of what that progression would be when falling in love, especially after being in small town in Ohio and an isolated, lonely person. It felt like a great opportunity to make a film that had a love story parallel to another narrative, and it happened to be a same-sex love story.”

The two actresses were drawn to the director after seeing her previous film, Princess. They were impressed by the Ezer’s unique style and vision, and decided to approach her about the possibility of collaborating on a new project.

After a brief Skype conversation, Ezer agreed to direct My Days of Mercy. She was drawn to the script because of the strong connection she saw between Mara and Page, and because she felt a deep connection to the characters and their story.

The film was shot largely in Loveland, Ohio, during the 2016 election. Page and Mara both recalled seeing Trump signs everywhere during the shoot, which added an extra layer of tension and unease to the already difficult subject matter.

Despite the heavy themes of the film, the two actresses found the experience to be enjoyable and rewarding. They credited their off-screen friendship for their on-screen chemistry, and said that being friends made it easier for them to be vulnerable and open with each other.

Shalom Ezer, the director, said that the appeal of the story was its hopefulness and its exploration of the transformative power of love. She said that even though she didn’t grow up in Ohio, she felt a deep connection to the story and its characters.

When asked about the challenges of shooting a same-sex love story, both actresses said that they didn’t feel any particular pressure or difficulties.

They both agreed that the story was universal and relatable, and that they were proud to be a part of a project that was helping to increase representation and visibility for the LGBTQ+ community.

In 2014, Ellen Page publicly came out and has since made it her mission to both play in and produce LGBT-inclusive content.

She is a producer on the film “My Days of Mercy” and on the Emmy-nominated docuseries “Gaycation” and “Freeheld,” where she starred as Julianne Moore’s life partner.

Despite not wanting to pigeonhole “My Days of Mercy” as a “queer movie,” Page said it offers a fresh approach to a same-sex romance that isn’t often seen in modern cinema.

“I liked a lot of those dynamics that I think to some people would feel counterintuitive—there’s a queer nuance that I related to so much,” Page said.

“When Mercy seems to be hitting on Lucy, and the next scene is asking if she has a boyfriend—sort of that whole dynamic when you’re navigating that space. But I think to me a lot of those aspects were unique and new and something I could completely relate to—conversations I feel like I’ve had with people.”

Kate Mara also talked about the unique love story in “My Days of Mercy.” “I mean, yes, she falls in love with a woman, but I didn’t read it as a queer role. I just read it as this is a human who falls in love with a woman,” Mara said.

“I’ve played lesbians before, but, like Ellen said, the thing about this script that I love so much was that, first of all, we really wanted to find a love story, and I thought that it was a unique love story because there are other things and other conflicts happening in both of their lives.”

The performances by Page, Mara, and Seimetz are what elevate the script and provide a feminist perspective on the typically machismo topic of capital punishment and its effects on families.