Writer/Director Erin Elders spoke with ABC7 about the mystery, star power and characters desperate for redemption.
Buck cares for his ailing mother, and survives cleaning homes.
"He ends up meeting this new client who hires him to track down her missing son, instead of clean her house," Elders said. "It sort of sets him off on this private eye adventure."
Lynda Carter, Luke Wilson and Shelley Long all appear in the indie feature.
"[Shelly's] just like this sort of comedic genius and to see her do this transformation into a character I still think is very funny, but very vinegary," Elders said.
Long was once a local TV personality here in Chicago.
"She describes her sort of sense of humor as this Midwestern sense of humor and we definitely bonded over that," Elders said.
Lynda Carter was actually a singer before she started acting.
"She's just such an icon, as Wonder Woman, and to see her do this character who's pretty out there emotionally, it was a really fun experience to watch her do that transformation," Elders said.
And Elders' Chicago roots played a role, too.
"A lot of Columbia alumni ended up working on the film so it did feel like a really, a little bit like a class reunion, if you will," he said.
You can watch "The Cleaner" on demand on all major platforms.