Where'd You Go, Bernadette (film)

Architect-turned-agoraphobe Bernadette Fox is settled down with her husband Elgie Branch and their 15-year-old daughter Bee in a dilapidated former schoolhouse in Seattle. After an award-winning house Bernadette constructed was demolished, she developed severe depression and became reclusive. Despite her close relationship with Bee, Bernadette seldom leaves home and fears human interaction, including with the other parents at Bee's school and especially their neighbor, Audrey Griffin.

Bee requests a family trip to Antarctica as reward for good grades, and her parents reluctantly agree. As the trip approaches, Bernadette’s behavior becomes increasingly odd. She considers using various prescription drugs to control her worsening anxiety and insomnia. Audrey continually implores Bernadette to remove an invasive blackberry plant from the hillside above her house; when Bernadette complies, the hillside collapses into Audrey's garden and house during a rainstorm. Elgie claims Bernadette knew that the hill would collapse without the blackberries to hold it in place. Audrey later accuses Bernadette of driving over her foot, escalating the tension between them.

One day, Bernadette returns home to find Elgie, his assistant, psychiatrist Dr. Kurtz, and FBI Agent Strang at her home for an intervention. They reveal that Manjula, Bernadette's “personal assistant” in India with whom she has shared all of her personal and financial information, is actually a front for a Russian criminal organization that the FBI has been watching. Dr. Kurtz and Elgie want to commit Bernadette to a psychiatric hospital while Elgie and Bee go to Antarctica. Feeling ambushed and misunderstood, Bernadette sneaks out of the house.

Bernadette hides at Audrey's, who makes amends with her and helps her fly to Antarctica alone. Elgie and Bee pursue her after Agent Strang tells them that the Russian criminals, who were on their way to Seattle to defraud Bernadette while she and her family were away, have been arrested and are no longer a threat.

In Antarctica, Bernadette befriends Becky, a researcher, who tells her the research station at the South Pole has to be completely rebuilt and needs an architect. Bernadette sneaks off her cruise ship and into Palmer Station, and convinces the team leader to give her a spot on the next convoy to the South Pole.

Meanwhile, Elgie realizes he has failed Bernadette by not being more supportive of her creativity. He and Bee catch up with Bernadette at Palmer Station, and, realizing her passion for architecture has been reignited, give her their blessing to spend five weeks at the Pole.

In January 2013, Annapurna Pictures and Color Force acquired the rights to the film adaptation of the novel and set Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber to write the screenplay. Semple, Bryan Unkeless, and Ted Schipper executive produced.[4] In February 2015, Richard Linklater was announced as director of the film,[5] and Cate Blanchett was cast as Bernadette in November.[6] In April 2016, it was announced that Holly Gent Palmo and Vince Palmo had taken over writing duties on the film, with Linklater also receiving credit.[7]

In March 2017, Kristen Wiig joined the cast,[8] and Billy Crudup was added in May, marking his second collaboration with Blanchett, after appearing with her in Charlotte Gray (2001).[9] In June, Judy Greer, James Urbaniak, and Laurence Fishburne joined the cast of the film,[10][11][12] and Troian Bellisario came on board in July.[13] Emma Nelson's casting was announced in June 2018.[14]

Principal photography began on July 10, 2017.[15] Set in Seattle, filming took place in Pittsburgh and Vancouver.[16][17] Scenes set in Antarctica were filmed in Greenland.[18][19]

Graham Reynolds was announced as the film's composer in September 2017.[20]

Originally scheduled for release in the USA on May 11, 2018,[21] the film was later pushed back to October 19.[22] The release date was then pushed to March 22, 2019,[14] and then August 9,[23] before finally settling on August 16, 2019.[24]

The film was significantly delayed for release in the UK for two years due to the film’s huge under-performance, before eventually appearing on Amazon Prime Video and other streaming services on 15 March 2021.[25]

Two of Bernadette's structures — the fictitious Twenty-Mile House and Beeber Bifocal House — were compared to the first two of 18 visions of Bernadette Soubirous.

Her final conception in the film was based on the Halley Research Station, designed in real life by Hugh Broughton Architects.

• Where'd You Go, Bernadette at IMDb