Principal photography for the film Words on Bathroom Walls started in Wilmington in 2018. By the time it was released in 2020, the pandemic had a stranglehold in the U.S.
North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper shut down movie theaters in late March. Five months later, in August, Words on Bathroom Walls opened in those theaters open for business in other states – North Carolina not among them – where movie theaters only reopened with capacity restrictions by early October.
As producers and distributors scrambled to find a new business model, this sensitively-crafted film about a teen boy battling schizophrenia received mostly favorable reviews but struggled to gain a broader audience.
The Mayo Clinic explains schizophrenia as a serious mental disorder in which people interpret reality abnormally – which can include hallucinations, delusions, and extremely disordered thinking and behavior. A 2017 article published in the American Journal of Psychiatry describes how the stigma that comes with it can make things worse – even precipitating psychotic episodes and triggering relapses. And that stigma can come in multiple forms: internally – with an even worse self-image, socially – through isolation and rejection, and even on an institutional level in the form of discrimination.
That’s why the film Words on Bathroom Walls is hailed by some critics as a worthy step towards understanding. Adapted from the Julia Walton novel, the film tells the story of Adam. He sees people who aren’t there, he hears voices, he witnesses phenomena not actually happening, and he feels the social isolation deeply.
Hallucinations can be dramatic, when people or rooms suddenly go up in flames, physical fights break out, inky black swirls form. And for a film these effects require, yes, special effects, but also stunt performers.
And that’s where Peter King comes in. He served as the Stunt Coordinator for this film, Words On Bathroom Walls. A sampling of his other credits include We’re The Millers, Tammy, Vacation 2015, Under the Dome, and the new TV series, George and Tammy.
There is a free screening of Words on Bathroom Walls Sunday, Apr 24, 2022at 4 PM at The Point 14 in Wilmington. Peter King will be on hand after the film to answer questions. The event is courtesy of the North Carolina Filmmakers Series.
Resources:
Coastal Horizons:
https://www.whatwilmington.org/what-we-do/mental-health-services/
University of North Carolina Wilmington:
https://uncw.edu/gsrc/mentalhealth.html
The Mayo Clinic:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/mental-illness/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20374974