Where was Dragonfly filmed?

If Joe thought he’d be able to get over Emily’s death quickly, he’s in for a rude shock. Not only has his strange and rude behavior seen him falling out of favor at work, but a series of bizarre happenings at the hospital and at home are forcing him to question his sanity. And things are about to get even weirder. Late one night, he spots a dragonfly (an insect Emily was obsessed with) outside the window. “It’s just a bug, big bird. Attracted to the light. Let’s not get crazy here,” Joe murmurs, trying to reassure himself as much as his pet parrot. Then, in the middle of the night, his previously placid parrot starts announcing “Honey, I’m home,” before flying into a rage. The bird eventually calms itself and lies still on the floor, but after tending to the bird to make sure it’s OK, Joe is startled when he looks up and sees a vision of Emily standing outside the window. If you want to check out Joe and Emily’s gorgeous home in Dragonfly, you can find it at 1104 Michigan Avenue in Evanston, Illinois. It’s about 12 miles north of downtown Chicago, with the shores of Lake Michigan just a couple of minutes’ walk away, and you’ll instantly recognize its exterior from the movie.

As the strange occurrences continue and his life starts to fall apart, Joe realizes he has no choice but to travel to Venezuela and visit the spot where Emily died. Upon arrival, he’s taken to a secluded village in the rainforest, and sees the graves where the crash victims have been buried. Showing his wife’s photo to two local tribe members, he asks which grave is Emily’s. “Does anybody know where?” he asks desperately, then watches on in confusion as the locals argue as to whether or not they should take him to a village. Then, spotting a towering waterfall nearby, Joe races off into the jungle and heads for the village. Climbing to a cliff above the river, he sees the bus that was washed away in the landslide now partially submerged in the river below. He’s followed by his guide Victor (Jacob Vargas), who tells him he is forbidden to be in the village. “Senor, we can return with government people, but you must come back with me now.” Ignoring his requests, Joe turns and leaps off the edge, plunging into the water below. These scenes were shot on the Middle Fork American River, which is found near Foresthill in northern California. The view of the bus in the water was filmed near Coffeepot Rapids, while the shot of Joe making the leap was shot near the famous Tunnel Chute.

After his brush with death in the sinking bus, Joe sees a vision of Emily and finally understands what happened during his wife’s final moments alive. He’s pulled to safety by Victor, who drags him to shore. Eventually awakening, he’s confronted by a furious Victor. “You are one crazy son of a bitch, you know that? You’re lucky to be alive, senor. You were not breathing.” Victor wants to leave straight away so they can make it to the airstrip before nightfall, but Joe has other ideas. “She lives through the bus accident. She made it to the village,” Joe says, in an almost trancelike state, before leaving an angry Victor in his wake and racing towards the village. This Dragonfly filming location where Joe lies recovering on the riverbank is actually the Los Angeles County Arboretum. You can find it at 301 North Baldwin Avenue, Arcadia, a little less than 15 miles northeast of Los Angeles.