Naman Shrestha
Co-written and directed by Miles Warren, Hulu’s ‘Bruiser’ is a drama movie, which is based on the director’s 2021 eponymous short film, that follows a 14-year-old boy named Darious who is a loner struggling to fit in among his friends and even family. He navigates his manhood with the help of two male figures — his strict yet loving father and a charismatic loner named Porter. However, as soon as Darious discovers Porter’s real identity, he gets pulled into a complicated situation involving the two influential males in his life.
The heartfelt onscreen performances from a group of talented actors, including Trevante Rhodes, Shamier Anderson, Jalyn Hall, and Shinelle Azoroh, elevates the overall quality of the dramatic narrative and keep the viewers invested in the movie from the beginning to the end. Furthermore, the dark undertone against the backdrop of different locations reflects the gravity of the film’s themes. Thus, it is natural for you to wonder where ‘Bruiser’ was filmed.
Bruiser Filming Locations
‘Bruiser’ was filmed in its entirety in Alabama, particularly in Baldwin and Mobile counties. The principal photography for the drama film seemingly commenced in February 2022 and reportedly wrapped up in 20 shoot days in March of the same year. Now, let’s not waste any time and take a look at all the specific sites that make an appearance in the Hulu movie!
Baldwin County, Alabama
Many important portions of ‘Bruiser’ were lensed in Baldwin County, the largest county in Alabama, in terms of area. During the production process, the cast and crew members were spotted recording pivotal sequences for the movie all across the county, in different cities. For instance, the cities of Fairhope, Spanish Fort, and Daphne, which are all located on the eastern shore of Mobile Bay, served as key production locations.
According to reports, the filming unit of the drama movie also utilized the locales of the city of Robertsdale and Byrnes Lake, specifically the part located north of Spanish Fort along Highway 225. Moreover, a few driving scenes were possibly shot in the rural areas of Baldwin County. Located in the southwestern part of Alabama on the Gulf coast, Baldwin County has been recognized for its impressive environmental conditions.
In a December 2022 interview with The Moveable Fest, Miles Warren was asked in detail about his experience of shooting the fair scenes. He elaborated, “…We shot it towards the end of the shoot, so I was a little exhausted, but I was like, “Okay, it’s day 19 out of 20. I’ve pulled off some sequences,” so I was coming in confident and it was genuinely a lot of fun. On the first day, we shot the Ferris wheel stuff and then walking around, and then played games.”
Miles added, “And the second day we just shot the dialogue and the confrontation, and we were really worried about [that] because we were shooting at night and we had a minor — Jalyn couldn’t be on set too late. So we had to shoot around him and get his reactions to the punch before we shot the punch, and then quickly turn around so that Tre could act with him and get Tre’s dialogue and we were worried that maybe Tre would have to act to Jalyn not being there, but I really didn’t want to do that.”
Mobile County, Alabama
Some sequences for ‘Bruiser’ were also taped in Mobile County, the second most populous county in Alabama, right after Jefferson County. To be specific, the production team seemingly set up camp in and around Satsuma, a city in Mobile County and also a part of the Mobile metropolitan area. Situated in the southwestern corner of Alabama, Mobile County is home to numerous islands and national protected areas, including Dauphin Island, Gaillard Island, Mon Louis Island, and parts of Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge and Grand Bay National Wildlife Refuge.
Read More: Best Parenting Movies
