What are the influences upon "The Believer"?

The models for this are a little bit of Samuel Fuller, and a little bit of crazy American independent cinema. It's not unlike "The Honeymoon Killers". One of the things that drove me mad making the film was that people would not let me have characters interrupting each other because it gives the sound editor fits. Once you have people stopping and waiting for the next person, the dialogue loses its rhythm, especially in this world where I felt interruptions were important. The scene at the synagogue, where he goes back, I rehearsed the actors along the lines that I'd heard Howard Hawks had worked his actors for "His Girl Friday". We did it like music.

This is vital, bearing in mind it's a film about arguments...

Yeah. What the film is really in favour of is argument, rather than a particular side.

How do you compare the film to "American History X"?

In "American History X" I was careful to make sure you knew it wasn't on the side of the Ed Norton character. It tried to give him some populist ideas, but basically they were afraid of being mistaken for promoting that stuff. Whereas in "The Believer" we're willing to take risks. I want the audience to feel their own responsiveness to these arguments.

It's the ultimate irony, isn't it - a neo-Nazi who once was a Jew?

Yeah. I started out with the idea of a neo-Nazi who is Jewish, and who can never escape his Judaism, as much as he tries. The more he tries, the more Jewish he becomes!

The Edinburgh International Film Festival runs from 12-27th August. Visit the official website.