An encounter with the independent film director Ry Russo-Young leaves a residue of pure authenticity. A native downtown New Yorker, she has a swagger that is a function of her natural confidence and her hyperactively creative mind. Well spoken, intelligent and, most excitingly, kind, Russo-Young is all around a pleasant surprise. The product of a much documented lesbian household (at a time when that was not a trending topic on Twitter), Russo-Young embodies a new school of open-minded, ambitious and captivating young women in film who possess a more free sense of sexuality and possibility, and who gracefully swing between roles both behind and in front of the camera. This month she will release her third feature film, "Nobody Walks," a sensitive, peacefully painful drama starring John Krasinski, Olivia Thirlby and a pair of art-house scorpions. The film, which she wrote with the "Girls" director and star Lena Dunham, delves into the pitfalls of forbidden attraction and the selfishness of youthful sexuality. Spoiler alert: it will be a bee sting of realism for anyone who has ever suffered the consequences of cheating, or has been cheated on. Where have you been recently? I've been in Los Angeles this past week working on a new project. I would love to tell you about it, but I'm superstitious about projects at early stages and don't like to discuss them until they're further along. Before that I was in London for Sundance London, and Paris with my boyfriend for his work. I'm based in New York but it's been a busy summer so I didn't get a lot of vacation time other than a few weekend trips to Long Island to visit my moms. As two Jewish mothers they always feed everyone extremely well so it's fun to bring friends and all cook lobsters and eat corn on the cob. But to get back to my schedule because you asked and I'm trying to be thorough here, I was in Texas for a job last month, then Oberlin, where I went to college, to screen my film and be on a panel. One of the best places I've visited recently was the Storm King Art Center, a landscape and sculpture park just outside the city. It demands you walk all over and just take in the landscape and the work, which seem to blend together. It's very vast, I was starving by the time I finished seeing everything. What are you working on right now? I'm finished with the creative part of "Nobody Walks" but the effort never really stops on a small movie like this, even after it's done. Now I'm trying to make sure people get the chance to see the movie as it comes out. I'm interested to see how people interact with it. So far it's been well received, but somewhat polarizing, so that is both rewarding and terrifying at the same time. I get messages online from people telling me they love the movie and others that say things like, "This movie is sending me into a deep depression." And I thought I had finally made a comedic movie with Lena's wit and charm! Where can I see it (and when)? "Nobody Walks" is on iTunes for the next couple weeks and then it will be in theaters starting Oct. 19. Seen anything amazing lately (not your own)? The last thing I watched that really stuck with me was Mia Hansen-Love's "Goodbye First Love." It's such a delicate film about how you never really stop loving someone. And I recently saw "The Hand That Rocks the Cradle" for the first time and was pretty blown away by its intensity, creepiness and emotion. I cried at the end! In L.A. I was listening to "The Sun Also Rises" read by William Hurt, he does everyone's voices so well and his French is wonderful too. Where are you headed? I'm going to Maine for a wedding on Sebago Lake and then back to L.A. for the official premiere of "Nobody Walks."