The applauded director duo of Father and Son, Peter Hedges, who directed Dan in Real Life, and his son, who gave Manchester by the Sea, fostered the familiar drama flick Ben is Back, 2018. The movie shows many colors of Lucas Hedges and Julia Roberts throughout prominent roles.
The movie revolves around Ben Burns, a 19-year-old athlete who has an opioid situation. The film starts as Ben comes back from his time at the Rehab Centre on Christmas but is not met with smiling faces, his mother is confused and has mixed feelings, and soon as he returns, his dog Ponce also goes missing.
Ben’s enthusiastic dynamism with Holly Burns, his mother, and his family is the central core of this drama flick. Some certain points stand out from the movie. The whole setup is sad, cold, and unsettling. The winter set up, the snow-covered roads and solitude on the paths, and the warmth that Hedge tries to muster.
Other cast members include Michael Esper, David Zaldivar, Rachel Bay Jones, Courtney B. Vance, Alexandra Park, and Kathryn Newton.
Locations
It is filmed across New York but majorly in Rockland and Westchester County. Reportedly filming started in late 2017 and went to early 2018. The filming board has Stuart Dryburgh as director of photos, famous for “The Secret Life of Walter and Mitty.” Ford Wheeler was the decorator of “Stranger Than Fiction,” and here he was, the manufacturing designer in the movie.
Now let’s see particular locations of the film.
Rockland County, New York
It was filmed in the village named Sloatsburg in Ramapo, Rockland County. Jhonson town Road’s Harriman State Park farm was a central filming location. One major location is the Super Seven convenience store. It is located at 75 Orange Turnpike.
Other small scenes were shot in 59 Orange Turnpike’s Hayward Deli, Haas pharmacy and at a strip mall also appeared in the movie. Other locations include South Mountain Road, North Little Tor Road, New City, and Garnerville’s Sparky’s Dinner.
Westchester County, New York
The full cast, alongside the crew members, gave away some of their time at Valley Space. The filming unit took a handful of scenes alongside Central Park Avenue, Mildred Street, Lake Avenue, and Nepperhan Avenue.
Furthermore, the crew majorly traveled Mamaroneck and lensed only a selected few of the engaging scenes. The shooting happened across the Mamaroneck Beach and a Yacht Club, membership placed at 555 S Barry Avenue on the jaw of River Mamaroneck; additionally, the crew also filmed some shots in Larchmont, a village placed alongside River Mamaroneck.
The crew also filmed some scenes in St John’s Episcopal church. Some news reports also hinted that some scenes were also filmed on Linden Avenue and Beach Avenue.
Where to watch?
Ben is back and is available to stream on all the major OTTs like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, and YouTube. One hour and 43 minutes is the expected watch time.
