“The Place of No Words” tells the story of loss and grief through the imagination of toddler Bodhi. The film was written, directed, and stars actor Mark Webber alongside his wife Teresa Palmer, and their son Bodhi Palmer. Audiences are able to see their family dynamic through their characters making the story and the connections between them feel real.
Bodhi, the character, is attempting to make sense of the world around him with the awareness of the fact that his father is battling a terminal illness. The adult-world, or the reality, is confusing and equally overwhelming for the small child which leads him to escape the adult world through his imagination. The film transitions between the child’s imagination and present-day Los Angeles. In Bodhi’s imagination, he and his father explore a fantasy land filled with magical creatures, a guardian angel named Esmerelda, and candy filled plants. The child’s fantasy world shows the duo searching for an answer to the question: “Where do we go when we die?” Bodhi’s coping mechanism not only showcases his innocence but shows the variety of emotions that comes with preparing to lose a loved one.
Nicole Berger plays Esmerelda in the film and discusses her experiences with filming and working with the Weber-Palmer family. The film was filmed in Wales, and the young actress lived in the country temporarily with her family for filming. In order to be engulfed in the culture around them, the cast and crew ate traditional Welsh food.
The film not only will help audiences cope with grief but show them the difficulties families experience. Bodhi’s difficulty with navigating the adult world and problems mirrors a lot of the difficulties with understanding: “What happens when we die?” However, the answer is open to interpretation because the answer is influenced by our own beliefs, understandings, and backgrounds.
The Place of No Words will now be released in theaters and on-demand on October 23.
