Arka Mukhopadhyay
‘Windfall’ is an indie thriller movie that centers upon a thief (named Nobody) all set to rob the house — which belongs to a business mogul — in the middle of nowhere. Nobody believes he could chill for a moment as no one is home. However, the problem arises when the CEO and Wife appear at the house on short notice. Not feeling like an escapade, the thief takes the CEO and the Wife hostages. Before they know it, the story veers off the cliff, and the characters unmask their actual faces.
With Charlie McDowell of ‘The One I Love’ fame at its helm, the indie thriller movie ‘Windfall’ showcases an unmistakable auteurist sensibility. We see the setting in the anachronistic visuals, which seems right out of a Hitchcock thriller. The camera showcases the vacation house where the CEO and his unhappy wife would arrive shortly after. Meanwhile, it stops at a pool after panning while we see the shrubs and mountains in the background.
With a decent budget, the movie stands on the strength of its script, cinematography, music, and acting. The unlikely home invasion film keeps all the details under the rug, endowing the story with a vague universalism. However, the story almost exclusively unfolds in the vacation home of the CEO, seemingly in the middle of a shrubby desert. If you are curious to identify the actual locations where the movie was filmed, let us transport you to the places.
Windfall Filming Locations
‘Windfall’ was filmed in its entirety in and around the US, especially California. Filming presumably took place in Spring 2021, wrapping up by March 18, 2021. For both independent and commercial projects, California proves to be fertile ground. The weather is pleasant around the year, the backdrops range from serene beaches to lush mountains, and the local crew members have first-hand knowledge of the nooks and crannies of production.
For Indie feature films that have a budget of over a million dollars, the state provides 25% transferable tax credits. Isiah Donté Lee, the cinematographer of Will Forbes’ ‘John Henry,’ served as the director of photography for the movie. On the other hand, Andrew Clark served as the production designer, and Elizabeth Goldsby handled the set decoration. Let us now take you to the specific locations where the filming took place.
Ojai, California
Most of the filming took place in and around Ojai, a small retreat hidden within Ventura County, California. The city is also a coveted tourist destination in the state, situated only around 83 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Therefore, the mountain range that the beginning scenes depict should be the Topatopa Mountains, which overlooks the community of Ojai. When the cast and crew were in the area, they enriched the local community and sourced services locally.
Lorraine Lim Catering, at 1401 Tower Square, in the coastal Californian city of Ventura, took care of the lunch and dinner for the cast and crew during the filming of the movie. However, the bulk of the filming possibly occurred in the premises of Casa Ojai Inn, a 3-star tourist accommodation at 1302 East Ojai Avenue in Ojai, California. The hotel lies not far from the village-like city center of Ojai, just opposite the Soule Park Golf Course.
From the director’s own ‘The One I Love’ to James Franco‘s ‘The Disaster Artist,’ Ojai has accommodated several cinematic projects of late. If you are ever vacationing in the city, make sure to go during the Ojai Music Festival, which usually takes place in June. If time does not permit, you can still take a hike through the vast Los Padres National Forest, which encircles an area of 7700 square kilometers.
Read More: Windfall Ending, Explained
