To celebrate the release of The Place of No Words, the new film from writer/director/actor Mark Webber, we down with the filmmaker and his co-star and wife Teresa Palmer to find out about this deeply personal film.
Told in two distinct parts – one in present day, the other in a mystical, magical “other” world – The Place of No Words tells the story of a young son (Webber and Palmer’s real-life son Bodhi) as he comes to terms with the terminal illness of his father (Webber). As he tries to make sense of the situation in his young mind, it wanders to a fantasy realm where he and his father can be together forever, exploring and laughing together, fighting off creatures, and enjoying its wonderous surroundings.
Webber, who had four films previously, tells us how the story came about through his own real-life experiences with his father and how he wanted to capture both the innocence of childhood and the complexities of coping with loss and grief, all told through the lens and mind of a child. He took inspiration from many places but you’d be hard-pressed not to film’s ode to the work of Jim Henson – especially Labyrinth – as well as The Lord of the Rings and more.
In addition, Palmer told us about the strange “world” created by the film that saw her and her real family acting alongside each other and the unique environment that created, both for them and her as an actor, as well as the performance of Bodhi at just three years old when the film was made.
And, for you Scott Pilgrim vs The World and A Discovery of Witches fans, we didn’t leave you hanging…
You can watch the full extended interview below:
The Place of No Words arrives on DVD and Digital on July 5th.
