A Lien, written and directed by brothers David and Sam Cutler-Kreutz, brings audiences into the fraught and complex experience that a noncitizen can go through in the U.S. legalization process. Clocking in at just under 15 minutes, the story follows a young couple (Victoria Ratermanis and William Martinez) navigating their Green Card interview at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (Uscis) office. The appointment starts off simple enough, until Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) takes a turn for the worse, putting the couple and their young daughter in unexpected danger.

In addition to being executive produced by politically conscious filmmaker Adam McKay, A Lien snagged an Oscar nomination for Best Live Action Short Film and garnered a Grand Prize Narrative Award from the Washington Film Festival.

Here, the Cutler-Kreutz brothers talk to Deadline about capturing the heart-wrenching process of becoming a U.S. Citizen.

Deadline: The film takes place during President Trump’s first term.