The film is an adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's novel "The Blunderer". It is based upon the Patricia Highsmith novel "The Blunderer". Kakalos is a strict commander, but he is also ambitious, flirtatious and sometimes blunderer. Principal photography began on November 17, 2014 in Cincinnati, Ohio, under the title "The Blunderer". The Blunderer is a psychological thriller by Patricia Highsmith, first published in 1954 by Coward-McCann.