HollywoodChicago.com film critic Patrick McDonald has interviewed first-time writer and director Adi Refaeli on her new “Crash”-like film “Empathy,” which will screen in Chicago twice this weekend. Refaeli said in the Chicago interview:

I was inspired to do the story when a similar instance from the film happened to me. I was driving my car with my husband and we were sitting at a red light. Before the light turned green, someone started honking their horn behind me.

My husband and I started thinking about why the driver behind us would do something like that. Maybe his wife was having a baby or something else. Suddenly, instead of getting angry, I wanted to help him. I felt empathy toward him.