Boston, inspiring city
The city of Boston has always been a source of inspiration for many filmmakers, whether for its university setting( Gus Van Sant'sWill Hunting in 1997 or David Fincher's The Social Network in 2010), or for its diverse communities. Clint Eastwood's Mystic River (2003), Martin Scorsese's The Infiltrated (2006) and Ben Affleck's Gone Baby Gone (2007) showcase the city's Irish community. The Boston Islands are also featured in Martin Scorsese's Shutter Island (2010). In 2015, Tom McCarthy's Spotlight (about the pedophilia scandal within the American Catholic Church, brought to light by a Boston Globe team) won the 2016 Oscar for Best Picture, as well as the prestigious Pulitzer Prize. The same year, Scott Cooper put the capital of Massachusetts in the spotlight in Strictly Criminal, a crime film tracing the life of mobster James J. Bulger (played by Johnny Depp). The list continues with Ghostbusters (2016), the last two installments of the Hunger Games saga(Rebellion Part 1 and Part 2) and Tate Taylor's Ava (2020), starring Jessica Chastain. On the small screen, the three hit series created by David E. Kelly are Ally McBeal, The Practice and Boston Justice. The city of Providence, capital of Rhode Island, was the setting for the series of the same name between 1999 and 2002. In 2021, Don't Look Up will be filmed in Boston, in the midst of a pandemic.
New England
But Boston isn't the only New England location to serve as the setting for numerous cult films. Hitchcock found New England the setting for his macabre farce Mais qui a tué Harry? (1955). Stanley Kubrick's Lolita (1962) is set in New Hampshire, the opulent mansions of Newport are the backdrop for Jack Clayton's Gatsby the Magnificent (1974), and Martha's Vineyard becomes Amity Island for Steven Spielberg's Jaws (1975), Frank Darabont's The Shawshank (1994) was set in a Maine penitentiary, the famous Jumanji (1995 ) was filmed in numerous New England towns, and Wes Anderson's Moonrise Kingdom (2012) was partly shot on Prudence Island, Rhode Island. More recently, it's the small town of Manchester-by-the-Sea on the north coast of Massachusetts that's been making a name for itself, thanks to the eponymous film released in 2016. Manchester-by-the-Sea won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay and Casey Affleck for Best Actor for his portrayal of the taciturn Lee. The same year saw The Finest Hours, set on Cape Cod, and in 2017, Stronger, starring Jake Gyllenhaal. Finally, more recently, the film Coda(Child of Deaf Adults) won the Oscar for Best Film 2022 and several awards at Sundance. The plot of this American remake of La Famille Bélier has been transposed to a fishing family based in Gloucester, Massachusetts.
