At the center of the movie Flora and Son is a heart-warming but grounded story of family, relationships, and, of course, music, which has the ability to bring us all together and explore our curiosity; we discover where it was filmed and break down filming locations.
Mum Flora, played by Eve Hewson, daughter of U2’s Bono, is constantly struggling with her teenage son Max, played by Oren Kinlan. Their tense dynamic is at the story’s core, with Max heading towards a life of crime and his mother trying desperately to keep him on track.
Flora, struggling with everything, finds a guitar that has been thrown away and rescues it, giving it to Max as a birthday present in an attempt to find him an interest. However, Max is more interested in rap, and the guitar is quickly discarded again.
After a drunken night in front of the TV, Flora enrolls in an online guitar course with Jeff, played by Joseph Gordon Levitt, kickstarting the main thrust of the musical movie. John Carney directed the film, and if you are a fan of his work with movies such as Once and Sing Street, then you will probably already have an idea of the tone for this production.
Carney is well-versed in blending real life and music, almost fooling audiences with his own musical style. Featuring none of the Hollywood glamour or glitz, Carney is more focused on the emotional resonance of music, using it to paint pictures of the characters rather than interfering with the flow of the story.
READ: Why is Flora and Son Rated R? Age Rating Guide
The music is as much of a landscape as the locations, masterfully portrayed but also understated. It’s a trick he has mastered and used to significant effect.
Flora and Son is set in Ireland, and Carney is a native of the land, and you can feel it in almost every scene.
Where was the Apple TV+ film Flora and Son filmed – a breakdown of filming locations
Ireland
Director and writer John Carney comes from Ireland, and like all great Irish filmmakers, he loves his homeland. Carney was born in Dublin and studied at De La Salle College in Churchtown and at Synge Street CBS, a state school in Dublin.
Carney would play the bass guitar for the Irish band The Frames and help direct some of their promotional videos, leading to him making two award-winning short-form films. His heart and career are firmly in Ireland; his first feature, exploring the breakdown in relations between two couples, was filmed there, and Carney provided the soundtrack.
I could list the catalog of Irish-based projects Carney has had, but that’s an article for another time. For this piece, it is no surprise that Flora and Son would be filmed in his beloved Dublin.
Dublin, Ireland
Most of the filming was done in Dublin for Flora and Son.
Dublin is the capital of Ireland and the largest city to be found there, with a population of around six hundred thousand.
Griffith Park
Entertainment IE would report that Hewson and Levitt would be spotted in the popular area in North Dublin.
The pair were seen with guitars, and photographer Frank Mallone would snap the pair, posting it to his social media.
Dun Laoghaire, Dublin
The Irish Sun would report that filming was spotted at O’Connell’s School in Dun Laoghaire, Dublin, and another school just outside the coastal village.
Dundrum Shopping Centre, Dublin
Some early location work occurred at the popular shopping center on Sandyford Road Dundrum.
A crew of around thirty were on site for some location work that can be seen in the film.
Rathmines, South Dublin
The location work would continue afterward in Rathmines, Ranelagh, Drumcondra, and Dun Laoghaire. One of the film’s stars, Amy Huberman, would film scenes just down the road, in Rathmines South Dublin.
The star would be spotted and reported in the Sunday World, filming scenes on the street where she lives with her husband, Brian O’Driscoll, and their three children.
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