According to the director Lynne Ramsay, the scene where Joaquin Phoenix's character lies down on the floor next to the agent and begins singing was improvised by Phoenix.
In the novella "You Were Never Really Here" by Jonathan Ames, the main character Joe uses a lot of props like latex gloves and gadgets. Lynne Ramsay stated that it was Joaquin Phoenix who suggested to get rid of most props to keep the character more authentic.
According to Rolling Stone, Joaquin Phoenix has stated that Lynne Ramsay gave him an audio file of fireworks mixed with gunshots to suggest what's going on in Joe's head.
The film was submitted to the Cannes Film Festival in an unfinished state, and was completed only a few days before the first public screening. Lynne Ramsay subsequently said that the version shown in Cannes was unfinished.
Received a seven-minute standing ovation at its Cannes Film Festival premiere, on May 27, 2017. Lynne Ramsay won the award for Best Screenplay and Joaquin Phoenix won for Best Actor.