We visit the locations of 'Bird Box Barcelona'

10/27/2023

Starring Mario Casas

Àlex and David Pastor directed the movie, a production of Chris Morgan Productions, Dylan Clark Productions, Netflix Studios, and Nostromo Pictures. Bird Box Barcelona stars Mario Casas with Alejandra Howard, Georgina Campbell, Michelle Jenner, Leonardo Sbaraglia, Patrick Criado, Lola Dueñas, Diego Calva, Celia Freijeiro and Gonzalo de Castro. Based on the film Bird Box by Susanne Bier starring Sandra Bullock and the book Bird Box by Josh Malerman.

After a mysterious force decimates the world's population by causing everyone who sees it to take their own lives, Sebastián (Mario Casas) and his young daughter Anna (Alejandra Howard) must navigate their own journey of survival through the desolate streets of Barcelona. But as they form an uneasy alliance with other survivors and make their way to a safe haven, a threat more sinister than the invisible creatures grows.

In this article we review the locations in the city of Barcelona. The locator was Jaume Jordana and the assistant Jordi Vendrell. Those responsible for locations were Xavier Izquierdo and Karen Oliva. The assistant localization coordinator was Francesco Colucci. First assistant to the location manager Natxo Gefaell, second assistant to the location manager Charlie Tello, Oriol Armangué, Helena Casas and Pep Morell. Attention! If you haven't seen the film, there may be spoilers.

 

Sebastián (Mario Casas) gives his daughter Anna some skates. They are inside a sports center. This sports center is in Granollers. They start skating, hear a noise, and leave. They go down some tunnels, and three blind men attack them. They filmed these scenes at the Old Mercedes-Benz Factory (65 Sant Adrià Street). They put on their glasses and go out into the street. We see an aerial image of the destroyed Eixample and the protagonists walking down the street. Then we see an aerial image of the city in ruins: the roundabouts in ruins, people hanging from the highway bridge in Baró de Viver, the deserted and abandoned Catalunya Square, the Barceloneta beach with the Hotel W in the background full of corpses, and a sunken cruise ship.

 

 

Sebastián and Anna walk down a street in an industrial estate area. They are on the Carretera del Mig at 103 in Hospitalet. There, they meet four people who are also fleeing. The leader is called Marcial (Jorge Asin). They hide inside a bus or coach station/garage. There, doctor Liliana (Michelle Jenner) treated Sebastian's wounds.

It's daylight, and we see an aerial view of the city with the garage building and the three chimneys in the background. They leave the building, they are in an open field, and we see a Carglass sign. They filmed these scenes at the bus hangar at the old Mercedes-Benz factory.

We make a time jump nine months into the past. Sebastián is in front of some windmills in the countryside. They are in Falgars del Bas, in Girona. Sebastián returns to his office in the city. The office is in the Pujades Tower, on Provençals Street. He calls his wife Laura (Celia Freijeiro). Strange things start to happen. People commit suicide for no reason. He leaves work, walks through a square to his car, and a man falls on top of it. He is on Provençals Street at number 42. He crosses Pujades Street, a fire truck passes, and Sebastián enters the metro station. He goes down the stairs, takes his ticket, and goes to the platform. It is the Selva de Mar stop. Train towards Trinitat Nova. People start throwing themselves onto the subway tracks. He runs out into the street and leaves. The street where he walks and a building explodes is Pujades Street.

 

 

Sebastián arrives at his daughter Anna's school. It is a Catholic school. He looks for her in her class. The two enter the chapel and meet Father Esteban (Leonardo Sbaraglia). The school is inside Casa de la Convalcencia on Sant Antoni M.ª Claret Street, 17. The chapel is in La Salle Bonanova (Paseo Bonanova, 8).

Father and daughter walk down the street, Pere IV Street, between Bac de Roda and Fluvià, while Sebastián tries to call his wife on the phone. They arrive at the door of his house on Cavallers Street, where his wife is waiting for them with the car.

Sebastián is walking with his daughter on a deserted street. They are in Ronda San Pere, between Paseo San Juan and Méndez Núñez Street. We can see dumped cars and a bus stopped in the middle with a giant eye drawn. There are people hanging with an eye drawn on the front on the other side of the bus.

 

 

Sebastián observes the street from a rooftop. This building is the Palacio de la Virreina building. We can see the obelisk in the middle of Diagonal Avenue. He sees a person entering a pharmacy. She is breaking the glass, and he follows her. It's Claire (Georgina Campbell). He goes with two more people with two dogs. They are Rafa (Patrick Criado) and Octavio (Diego Calva). They leave together. They arrive at the entrance to a shelter (Vila de Gracia Square Clock Tower) from Mariana Pineda Street. They walk through the deserted square and enter the Tower. They say it's a Republican bomb shelter. There, they meet Isabel (Lola Dueñas). A group of people are hiding there. Roberto (Gonzalo de Castro) is one of them.

They recreated the scenes at the intersection between Paseo de Gracia and Avenida Diagonal outside the old Mercedes-Benz factory. The Barcelona Film Commission helped them so that different city departments collaborated with the material used from the city (lighting, signage, fountains, benches, canopies, traffic lights, containers and trash cans, and sewer cover) to recreate it.

 

 

There, he also meets a girl, Sophia (Nalia Schuberth). She is a foreigner and explains her story when it all started. She was going on a cruise with her family. We see images of the port. The girl says there was a safe place in a castle. She draws Montjuic and the cable car.

They go out to the street. They pass in front of a Kitek store. We see an aerial view of Paseo de Gracia with Casp street. Octavi enters a doorway and takes the letters out of a mailbox to see the number. He says it is 257 Diputación Street. They filmed this scene on 57 Bruc Street. We see an aerial image of Barcelona with the Mapfre Tower and the Arts Hotel in the background and a statue of Jesus Christ in the foreground. It is the statue that crowns the Tibidabo church. Sebastián and his companions are walking down the street.

 

 

We made another jump eight months earlier. Sebastián walks down a street with a blindfold. He uses the GPS on his cell phone to guide him. He arrives at the door of a hospital. We can see him from inside. He is in Gavà, not in Barcelona.

We return to the present. Sebastián and Claire talk while sitting in chairs. They are inside La Paloma (Tigre Street, 27). They hide to rest there. She explains to him how she came to Barcelona.

We see an aerial view of Universitat Square corner with Pelai. The characters are walking along Ronda Universitat towards the square. They flee towards the portal of a building. They filmed this door and the interior of the portal on Ausiàs Marc Street, 37.

We jump to seven months earlier, Sebastián is hiding in his apartment on Cavallers Street with his daughter. Outside, some enlightened people catch a man and force him to open his eyes.

 

 

We return to the portal where they hide on Rambla Cataluña, 34. They are looking for medicines in the apartments. We see an aerial view of apartments in Barcelona. The group walks along La Paloma Street and Lleó Street. Sebastian sees an eye drawn on the wall. They turn towards Lleó Street to the right. They encounter a man with a motorcycle who chases them.

 

 

They run and turn right onto La Paloma Street. Roberto and Isabel fall and are left behind. Sophia, Claire, and Sebastián enter a doorway on La Paloma Street to hide. They shot the interior on 23 Ample Street. Sophia and Claire climb the stairs and go out to a rooftop. We can see the dome of a church. It is the Basilica of La Mercè.

We jump back in time. Sebastián and Anna celebrate the girl's birthday at her apartment. It was 11 years ago. Some men enter by force. They take them to the roof of the building. The roof terrace is at Diagonal Avenue, 618, but the building where they live is on Cavallers Street, between Pedralbes Avenue and Bosch i Gimpera Street.

We return to the present. Claire is on some scaffolding in a building. They get off the scaffolding on La Paloma Street again and get into a car to flee down Joaquim Costa Street. They follow them with an SUV and a motorcycle along the Parallel Avenue. The protagonists circulate in a car, entering Parallel Avenue from Nou de la Rambla Street. They go towards the Jaime I Tower on a ruined street.

 

 

They drive along the pier to the Tower of Jaime I and the cable car. Claire and Sophia go up the stairs. The pursuers arrive.

 

 

The cable car starts up. We see an aerial view of the cable car and the Montjuic Castle. They get on the cable car and arrive at Montjuic Castle. We see an aerial view of the castle and some scenes in the interior and the patio.

 

 

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