How 'I Care a Lot' Used Its Settings to Convey Control
By now, you've probably seen the chaos that is Gone Girl: The Sequel—we mean Netflix's I Care a Lot—a movie about one woman's unrelenting quest for world domination by way of outright manipulation and deception. The brilliance of Rosamund Pike, Dianne Wiest, and Peter Dinklage make this film a puzzle: you're never quite sure who to root for, and by the film's end, you're pretty certain nearly everyone in the movie is problematic in their own right.
The film's setting plays a crucial role in the film, too. In a city that's never disclosed to the audience, the movie's changing setting acts as a metaphor for control. Mob boss Roman Lunyov operates from the top of a skyscraper, overlooking the city. Marla Gray works from an office that overlooks a single street. Meanwhile, Jennifer Peterson, barred from leaving her retirement home, sees nothing beyond her four walls during moments of her stay. She is powerless.
Of course, that dynamic changes as soon as Marla outplays Lunyov, and they are both contemplating their options from a hospital window, now equals. But where did the movie film? Here's what we know.
I Care a Lot mostly filmed in suburbs outside of Boston
Filming for I Care a Lot mostly took place in Wellesley, Massachusetts, as well as Boston back in 2019. (Actress Alicia Witt who plays Dr. Karen Amos posted an Instagram from the latter.) Certain scenes for I Care a Lot were also filmed in a studio in England. The city of Wellesley also played host to Chris Evans' Apple+ Series, Defending Jacob, and the 2017 thriller/comedy starring Anya Taylor-Joy, Thoroughbreds, in what was said to be Connecticut.
The greatest takeaway, it seems, was the filmmaker's choice to make the city feel nondescript, as if to suggest that a person like Marla Gray could exist anywhere. (And they do!)
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