Point Reyes Light- September 24, 1998
Movie crew slips in and out of Bolinas
After shooting scenes in Bolinas for three days last week, an independent film company wrapped up production for the movie Wildflowers.
The movie company promised the reclusive town its name will not be mentioned anywhere in film.
The film tells the story of a 17-year-old woman born on a West Marin commune and raised by her father among the houseboats of Sausalito and cafes of San Francisco's North Beach.
The scenes filmed in Bolinas depicted the daughter's reunion with her mother, played by actress Darryl Hannah, and their return to the abandoned commune, said Melissa Painter, a Mill Valley native who wrote and directed the film.
Painter, 30, said she realized Bolinas has a reputation for guarding its privacy but wanted to shoot her first feature film in the places she wrote about. To avoid any controversy, she said, her film company shot footage only on private property and tried to maintain a low profile.
"My impression was it went amazingly well, and we didn't step on anyone's toes," she said, noting that cast members seemed to enjoy staying in town. "People at Smiley's were very kind."
But the presence of camera crews on Mesa Road and in Paradise Valley irritated several residents who could have done without the inconvenience of having extra traffic arrive unexpectedly in town. "I'm really glad they're gone," said Vickisa Feinberg. "I hated it."
Still, the assurance that Bolinas won't be identified anywhere in the movie was enough to calm the town's otherwise protective Border Patrol.
"The people who live there might recognize Paradise Valley because they live there, but no one else in the world will know where it is," promised Ynza Byl, a production assistant.