Our beloved borough is more than just a place to live, work, and visit – it’s a place to film! Let’s take a look at three movies set and filmed prominently in Brooklyn.

Saturday Night Fever

In SNF, John Travolta’s character Tony wants nothing more than to transcend his home in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn for Manhattan (crazy). His costar Donna Pescow, a native to the borough, adapted to her role by retraining herself to speak in a Brooklyn accent. The Bay Ridge pizza shop, hardware store, and dance studio featured in the movie still exist today, although the disco club 2001 Odyssey, which was also located in Bay Ridge, has since been demolished.

Requiem for a Dream

This gritty film spends much of its time in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, where Sara, a widow, lives alone in her apartment. Although rather depressing throughout much of the movie, Brooklyn is also the stuff of dreams – when Harry is dreaming of seeing his girlfriend Marion on an ethereal boardwalk, he’s picturing her on Coney Island’s Steeplechase Pier!

The Squid and the Whale

Although the titular oceanic battle is depicted in an exhibit at Manhattan’s American Museum of Natural History, The Squid in the Whale is set predominately in Brooklyn. The main family home is located in Park Slope, Brooklyn, and when the Bernard (Jeff Daniels) leaves his wife Joan (Laura Linney), he moves to an apartment on the other side of Prospect Park.