Set-jetting

The Holdovers

Already tipped for Oscar success, and to become a new Christmas classic, The Holdovers is the story of three lonely souls shipwrecked in a New England boarding school over the festive season.

Directed by Alexander Payne, the film takes us back to 1970, where, as pupils of Barton Academy excitedly depart for their winter holidays, a ragtag bunch with nowhere to go are forced to stay behind.

Rebellious 15-year-old student Angus Tully (Dominic Sessa) is stuck with a grouchy professor (Paul Giamatti) and the academy’s head cook Mary (Da’vine Joy Randolph). But the three characters find support in the most unlikely places.

The entire movie was shot on location in Massachusetts, with the establishing shots of Barton filmed in Shelburne Falls, nestled in the scenic Pioneer Valley.

This picturesque town embodies New England charm, with its preserved 19th-century buildings, galleries and artisan shops.

The school scenes were filmed at real schools, including Deerfield Academy, Groton, St Marks in Southborough and Fairhaven High School.

As the home of some of the oldest and most renowned schools and colleges in the world, New England was the perfect fit for the esteemed Barton Academy.

Later in the story, the action switches to Boston. Following a shot of Faneuil Hall in the Government Centre, a sequence is filmed at the Brattle Book Shop at 9 West Street, one of America’s oldest bookshops.

Angus and the professor also visit the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, known for its Impressionist paintings and artefacts.

The bowling scene was filmed at the Wakefield Bowladrome. Opened in 1958, its retro charm makes it a classic gathering place. Before heading back to Barton, the trio dine at The Chateau, one of Waltham’s oldest dining establishments, specialising in Italian-american cuisine.

New England is a great place to visit in winter. Tourists and locals ski by the ocean in Vermont and ice-fish and snowmobile around Moosehead Lake, plus there’s Newport Winter Festival with its concerts and cook-offs in February.

The Holdovers is out on January 19. visitnewengland.com