 The story is based on the relationship between a young runaway in  the 1980s named Dewayne and his father who was incarcerated for  robbery and attempted arson. They can both be seen in the 1984  documentary, Streetwise, which focuses on several of Seattles  runaway youth in the 1980s. Dewayne committed suicide at the age of  14. The story was later developed by Peter Silverman. Martin Bell,  Mary Ellen Mark. Then, Silverman and Bell wrote the screenplay.