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| Netflix’s Remarkably Bright Creatures Has Fans Searching for Sowell Bay, But There’s a Catch. (Credits: Netflix) |
The Netflix film, based on Shelby Van Pelt’s bestselling novel of the same name, centres on an unusually emotional friendship between grieving cleaner Tova, troubled drifter Cameron, and an octopus named Marcellus who somehow understands human beings better than most humans understand themselves. Which, to be fair, is not exactly difficult these days.
In the story, Sowell Bay is described as a small coastal town in Washington State’s Puget Sound region. Van Pelt intentionally created it as a fictional place inspired by the Pacific Northwest atmosphere she personally loved while living in Washington.
ICYMI: All 'Remarkably Bright Creatures' Shooting Locations.
The gloomy skies, wet streets and quiet harbours are not just background scenery in the novel; they mirror the loneliness and emotional exhaustion carried by the main characters. Basically, everyone in the town looks like they urgently need a warm drink and a long therapy session.
When production began on the Netflix adaptation, filmmakers headed north to British Columbia, Canada, where several coastal locations helped recreate the fictional town.
Much of Sowell Bay was brought to life through filming in Deep Cove, a scenic waterfront community near Vancouver known for its calm marina views and postcard-perfect coastal atmosphere.
The area’s combination of misty weather, forests and sleepy harbour streets matched the emotional tone of the story almost suspiciously well.
Places such as Panorama Park and Cates Park were used to establish the close-knit community feel of Sowell Bay. The result is a town that feels comforting and melancholic at the same time, where everyone seems to know each other’s business before breakfast.
Fans online have joked that Sowell Bay feels like the sort of town where even the local seagulls probably know your emotional trauma.
Meanwhile, the fictional Sowell Bay Aquarium was created using multiple real locations. Exterior shots were filmed at the Deep Cove Yacht Club, located on Gallant Avenue, while interior scenes featuring Marcellus were shot inside the famous Vancouver Aquarium in Stanley Park.
The aquarium’s real marine setting gave the film a grounded atmosphere, even while audiences were emotionally connecting with an octopus delivering existential observations like a retired philosophy professor.
Additional scenes were filmed around Lion’s Bay, including the Lion’s Bay Store and Cafe, which appears as Ethan’s local shop in the film. Other British Columbia locations such as Maple Ridge and Steveston Village also helped expand the world of Sowell Bay, adding extra layers of coastal charm and rainy-day realism.
Netflix essentially built a fictional Washington town by borrowing the best bits of Canada and hoping nobody would complain. So far, nobody seems interested in complaining.
Online reactions to the locations have been overwhelmingly positive, though many viewers admitted they genuinely believed Sowell Bay was a real destination while watching the film.
Some fans even started searching for holiday rentals there before discovering the town only exists in the novel. Others praised the production team for avoiding overly polished locations and instead leaning into natural coastal scenery that feels lived-in and emotionally authentic.
Marcellus himself has also become a surprise fan favourite online, with social media users joking that the octopus deserved top billing over the human cast.
Several viewers said the aquarium scenes became the emotional centre of the film, partly because Marcellus somehow manages to sound wiser than half the internet while trapped in a tank. Not exactly a glowing review of society, but probably an accurate one.
Critics and audiences alike have noted how important the setting is to the story’s emotional impact. Without the rainy docks, grey skies and isolated coastal atmosphere, the film would lose much of its quiet intimacy.
Sowell Bay may not be real, but the emotional world surrounding it feels believable enough that many viewers are still trying to figure out whether they miss the town itself or simply the strange comfort the story created.
As interest in Remarkably Bright Creatures continues growing on Netflix, filming locations across British Columbia are already drawing extra attention from fans wanting to experience the world behind Tova and Marcellus.
The only disappointing part is discovering there is no actual aquarium octopus secretly analysing your life choices in perfect silence.
Or maybe there is, and we just have not noticed yet. So, would you actually visit Sowell Bay if it were real, or are people mainly showing up for Marcellus at this point?