Upamanyu Biswas
In the action-thriller film ‘Jack Reacher: Never Go Back,’ the titular character deals with several challenges after he discovers the existence of a fifteen-year-old girl named Samantha Dutton, who claims to be his biological daughter. Left with very few options after a rogue element within the military pursues him and Major Susan Turner, Reacher decides to shield the girl to ensure no one targets her to hurt him. Subsequently, the trio ends up at the Pembroke School for Girls, a school previously attended by Turner, who vouches for its safety and its impact on her early life, to hide Samantha by taking an admission for her. Although the institute appears in the movie only briefly, it becomes a pivotal part of the narrative, deciding the fate of the former military cop and his apparent daughter’s relationship at the film’s end!
The Real Pembroke School for Girls
The Pembroke School for Girls in ‘Jack Reacher: Never Go Back’ is a fictional institute crafted by Lee Child in his 2013 novel of the same name, which is the source material for the film directed by Edward Zwick. In the novel, the school is situated in the Boston suburbs and is described as a prestigious academy that is very difficult to get into. Although it started as an all-girls school, it eventually became co-ed and ranked among the top ten private high schools in the country. However, in the film, Pembroke is located in the Washington, D.C., area and has an all-girls student population.
Although Pembroke School for Girls does not exist in real life, schools with similar names can be found elsewhere, such as Pembroke Elementary School in Danbury, Connecticut, or Pembroke School in Kensington, Australia. In the case of the former, although they share similar names, the Connecticut school is an elementary-level institute, which distinguishes it from the Pembroke in the movie. Additionally, Pembroke School in Kensington is a co-ed educational establishment that differs from the all-girls exclusivity of the Pembroke School for Girls.
During the film’s shooting, the scenes featuring Pembroke were filmed in New Orleans, Louisiana, specifically at Metairie Park Country Day School at 300 Park Road, Metairie. The private co-ed school is home to 750 students and was founded in 1929, offering classes from pre-kindergarten to grade 12. When Samantha walks past Pembroke’s art students in the film, she is intrigued by the prospect of cultivating her drawing skills similarly. At the film’s end, she and Reacher have a heartfelt conversation outside Pembroke as she prepares to join its roster and complete her education. Ultimately, despite playing a significant role in the narrative and Samantha’s future, it is a fictional place that does not exist.
Read More: Jack Reacher: Is Parasource a Real Private Military Organization?
You must be logged in to post a comment.