PHOTO BY HUCK BEARD

Over lunch, Fred Rogers (Tom Hanks) asks troubled writer Lloyd Vogel (Matthew Rhys) to join him in a simple exercise: Take a minute of silence to “think about all the people who loved us into being.” As the background noise fades, Hanks turns and looks straight into the camera, encouraging the audience to join in.

The scene serves as the emotional keystone of “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” and not just because of the audience participation; during the quiet moment, the camera pans around the room to find a few figures from Rogers’ real neighborhood, including his wife, Joanne, and David “Mister McFeely” Newell.

The scene was shot at Mandarin Gourmet, a busy Downtown restaurant. If you visit (the lunch specials are filling and affordable), you can easily identify the booth used in the scene; it’s just to the side of the logo painted on the adjoining window.

“A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” is available via digital on-demand services including Amazon and Apple.

Watch the trailer⇓