No one is who they seem in this neo-noir New York City thriller of ruthless manipulations and high-stakes games. --Apple
While this movie depicts a beautifully curated billionaire’s Manhattan penthouse that of course caught our attention, we fell in love with the incredible detailing of the small indie bookshop that bookends the film, and asked Set Decorator Rena DeAngelo SDSA to let us have a deeper peek.
We know you’ll enjoy these glimpses!
Karen Burg, Editor
Tom’s world, where he hides from the rest of his world... Justice Smith. Photo by Alison Cohen Rosa courtesy of Apple ©2023.
From Set Decorator Rena DeAngelo SDSA...
“The movie begins and ends in the bookstore. Tom owns the shop where he meets Sandra, and the plot gets twistier and twistier...”
“We used an empty storefront on Thompson Street in the West Village and turned it into a cozy neighborhood used bookshop where you would want to spend hours browsing.
It was so convincing, we spent most of our prep days sadly telling people who wanted to shop, ‘I’m sorry, it’s not a real store.’”
“My assistant Paul Cheponis has a book vendor source in PA who pulled all of these books together and boxed them in categories so they went onto the shelves easily. Most of the shelves were sourced from Fennick Studio Props, and others were built by the art department. This set was labor of love by all—my friend and amazing Production Designer Kevin Thompson, our teams and my incredible crew.”
Classical sculpture miniatures, and others, dot the bookstore. You’ll have to see the film to find out why. Justice Smith as Tom. Photo by Alison Cohen Rosa courtesy of Apple ©2023.
A skim-through-the-book reading nook with so many fabulous details, including the bench and the framed antique photograph. Courtesy of Apple ©2023.
The real reading nook...every book-lovers dream! And even children will tell you the Baobab tree is of significant ominousness to The Little Prince...Clues abound! Courtesy of Apple ©2023.
The “shipping department”! Behind-the-scenes shot. Courtesy of Apple ©2023.
Before and almost “after” shots. Literally behind-the-scenes as some of Rena’s team finish prepping the shop entry. Inset reveals the empty location the design & décor teams transformed. Courtesy of Apple ©2023.
The lighting: neon arrow, lava lamp, traditional scones and Bohemian cage chandelier – not what one would expect to work together in a small space, and of course they do beautifully! Note the antique wooden bookstands and the currently unused pedestal. And the book display choices! Such great details. We hate to say goodby.
