Where was Netflix’s ‘God’s Crooked Lines’ filmed?

If you have been rummaging into Netflix for a gripping, mind-boggling watch, then the Spanish psychological mystery thriller, God’s Crooked Lines might just be the correct option for you. The film, released on Oct. 6, 2022, is based on the 1979 novel by Torcuato Luca de Tena titled Los Renglones Torcidos de Dios.

Helmed by Oriol Paulo, the plot revolves around the misadventures of undercover detective Alice Gould, who moves to a psychiatric hospital to investigate the death of former patient Damian Garcia del Olmo, son of Dr. Raimundo Garcia del Olmo, who appointed Gould to carry on with the process of uncovering his son’s death.

Alice goes to the ward and masquerades as a patient diagnosed with paranoia by Dr. Donadio, in order to get to the bottom of the case and find out the real truth behind Damien’s death, which she believes is a murder and not a suicide.

What follows thereafter is a whirlpool of twists, unexpected revelations, and conspiracies, gluing the viewers to the screen and completely engrossing them into the plot as well as providing them with the space for devising theories about the movie’s ultimate climax.

In addition to the story, the film can captivate the audience through its brilliant cinematography and the sprawling compound bearing striking resemblance to an intimidating, solitary psychiatric hospital from where an easy escape is almost impossible to fathom.

Given the overall positive responses and critical acclaim that the film has received, there’s no doubt that the audience is curious about the possible locations where the movie was filmed, which gave it a sense of chilling realness. Let’s find out.

Where was the movie filmed?

The film is centered in a single location, and that would be the psychiatric ward where Alice is admitted. While there, she eventually encounters various other characters and events that assist her in unearthing various secrets. However, the actual filming took place in two locations, Barcelona and Tarragona, both of which are provinces of Spain.

The production proces,s including the photography for the film, initially began in May 2021, and continued for around nine weeks until July of the same year. Interestingly, certain unexpected locations were selected for filming some of the movie’s most important scenes.

For example, most of the interior scenes of the hospital were recorded in a former Mercedes-Benz factory in Barcelona’s Bon Pastor neighborhood. Reportedly, it took over 8,600 hours to build a 3,800 square meter set inside the factory. However, Barcelona is not a new entrant as a major filming location, as the province housed several Hollywood blockbusters, such as The Machinist, The Bourne Identity, and Killing Eve, to name a few.

The scenes outside the ward covered several climactic shots, such as Alice’s escape scene and the patients’ gathering outside the hospital following an outbreak of a fire. These scenes were filmed in an abandoned old Tobacco factory in Tarragona. Other locations include Castellar del Riu and the inland comune of Berguedà.  

The meticulous selection of the locations has managed to provide the plot with the beauty and strength that enabled it to achieve the outcome. And judging by the movie’s popularity on the platform, these locations were successful in adding intrigue for the project.

God’s Crooked Lines is currently streaming now on Netflix.