Marwencol (2010) User Reviews

Marwencol (dir. Jeff Malmberg, 2010)

[suspiria56 · 8/10 · 23 May 2011]

As with all the very best documentaries, it's what is implied rather than what is said outright. This brilliantly restrained piece chooses to give subtle information at all the right times, perfectly conveying the emotion attached to its subject matter.

Previous alcoholic, bitter and angry, Mark Hogancamp was left in a coma after he received a savage beating outside a bar by five men. The resulting damage meant that he had also lost a lot of memory from the attack, losing details in his life (including his need for alcohol). Having lost his identity, Mark dealt with his traumas by constructing the titular miniature town of Marwencol, often reenacting scenes from flashes of memory, with toy dolls closely representing people in his life.

Brilliantly paced, we learn of Mark's life, anxieties, and fears, and learn of a lonely, highly intelligent individual, who just does not want any further pain in his life. Thus, retracting from life and society, to live through his doll-town stories.

If the first half is a little labouring in providing information to the viewer, the second half justifies this approach no end, as we compassionately learn of Mark's personality, what makes him comfortable, and the few real loves throughout his life. As well as the reason for the attack that so affected his life.

The film is never judgmental, never dwells on its issues more than others. Scenes of Mark walking a toy jeep 160 miles on his trips to the local stores in order to wear the wheels in and appear authentic, prove to be highly endearing rather than seem odd or snigger-inducing. When Mark's constructions are later discovered as works of art, he struggles with his preparation for a New York exhibition of his constructions and photography. Yet clearly his honesty and integrity have a strong effect on the people he encounters there. What we are left with in the end is an honest portrait of a man overcoming his life's traumas. Therapy through art, in the most dignified and humble of ways.

Inspiring, beautiful, pair of stories lovingly made (by the director and the subject)

[jsagafi · 9/10 · 19 May 2011]

This is a beautiful, respectful, modest treatment of a delicate subject Mark H. -- the victim of a barroom attack by several youths who is left in a coma, forgets his past, and must gradually relearn how to walk, speak, and function. He remains damaged, but creates his own form of therapy in the form of creating an intricate world of action figures living out a detailed story of WWII action. He is an inspiring, creative, charismatic yet fragile protagonist.

The movie follows the parallel worlds of Mark's reality and his storytelling, which reflect each other and progress with effective pacing. It is an inspiring tale of self-initiated psychological rehabilitation, where a person who might be pitied reinvents himself and finds redemption and what appears to be a "better" version of himself.

There are also very interesting sub-currents of sexuality, sexual identity, justice, catharsis, normalcy, and power struggles in the dual narratives.

The movie makers lovingly capture Mark's meticulously created art (including his excellent photography) with beautiful cinematography.

Inspiring, beautiful movie.

Great

[zetes · 9/10 · 17 April 2011]

Deeply moving documentary about a man, Mark Hogancamp, who suffered a vicious beating at the hands of some thugs who followed him home from a bar. He suffered some pretty horrible brain damage, losing most of his memories. To deal with the pain, Mark created a fantasy world, a small Belgian town in the midst of WWII, Marwencol, populated with dolls which represent people from his own life. The filmmaking is pretty standard doc stuff, but it's well done and the director handles the big reveals fantastically. Hogancamp is such a wonderfully interesting person - and the stories he tells about Marwencol are actually gripping themselves - that I was completely caught up in the movie. It's easily one of last year's best films.

I Want to Send Mark my Barbies!

[Thistle-3 · 10/10 · 25 March 2010]

As I've mentioned, when the Cleveland International Film Festival catalog comes out. I read all the summaries and mark the movies I want to see. Marwencol jumped out at me for a few reasons. I had a boyfriend in college who lived near Kingston, NY, where this takes place. It's about a man who recovers from a head injury by building a world of miniatures in his backyard, it becomes therapy. My husband and son are into gaming and miniatures. I thought it sounded very interesting.

Turns out the miniatures are more like dolls. And, the therapy was much more like fantasy and art. Mark Hogancamp was attacked in the parking lot of a bar by five guys he'd been drinking with. Head injuries forced him to learn to speak, write, walk and completely function, all over again. Before the accident, he was married, an alcoholic and a gifted artist. After the accident, he was a completely different person, because he had no memory of his previous life. Working with his figures, he's able to practice small motor function, develop his rich imagination and role play some of his anger and aggression. Because he couldn't draw anymore, he captured scenes on film, with his camera. Now, friends and admirers of his work are urging him to share his town, Marwencol, with the world, with a gallery showing, a book and this film. Mark Hogancamp is a sympathetic and interesting guy. Marwencol is definitely an interesting place. Just when you think, "Okay, I get it, but this is weird," it gets weirder! But then, the pieces start to fit together. Fascinating story, well told, amazing imagery. It's an unforgettable place. Marwencol gets a 10 out of 10.

Mini-Nazis Provide Therapy in Marwencol

[electrablind · 6 February 2011]

thefilmsmith.com

Fictions play a foundational role in our society. We encounter many of these fictions as images that feel bigger than we are, juggernauts projected onto the world we inhabit: social constructions of monetary value or race, or images on television considered synonymous with reality. In Marwencol we see the process from the other end as we follow a man who chooses and controls his fictions, projecting his real-life traumas onto a 1/6 scale world as alternative therapy.

On April 8, 2000 Mark Hogancamp had his memories literally beaten out of his head by five guys outside a New York bar; the film follows his life in the aftermath of the attack. After being kicked out of the hospital (he can't afford to stay), Mark seeks out an artistic outlet to continue his therapy. The nerve damage from the attack makes his hands too shaky to continue drawing, so the local hobby shop turns him to miniatures. Mark quickly becomes absorbed in his new hobby and creates a whole town called Marwencol, populated by World War II figurines. Painting minute details helps steady his hands, and the scenarios he creates between the dolls exorcise vengeful thoughts and allay loneliness. When Mark's photographs of Marwencol catches the eye of an art publication, an upcoming gallery exhibition of these photos becomes his newest challenge.

Mark's confessions about himself and his uses of Marwencol make the film uncomfortably intimate, but with touches of disarming charm. You'll wince as he hugs a doll based on a girl he has a crush on, and be horrified at the violence his characters enact upon the SS soldiers who torture his personal wax avatar (a stand-in for the attack he experienced). Mark blithely confesses to enjoying the power of manipulation in Marwencol, but he's so childlike in his earnestness that it's hard to feel truly threatened. Contextualized by the physical and mental trauma of his attack (PTSD is quite evident), the film allows you to sympathize with Mark, not treat him like a sideshow freak.

Which is a strong credit to director Jeff Malmberg. For someone so shy, Mark opens up without reserve to the audience; this seems evidence of his trust in the filmmaker, who spent four years shooting the documentary. It's obvious that Malmberg didn't shoot the film on 35mm, as Marwencol doesn't display the visual slickness of major studio films, but the DVCam look fits with the film's personal narrative and allows Mark's quality photographs to truly pop.

And let us not forget about Mark's world. Marwencol is amazingly detailed, to the point that at times I didn't know if I was seeing a shot of a bar in real life or the one in Marwencol – "Hogancamp's Ruined Stocking Catfight Club " (don't worry, all the catfights are staged). Given Mark's attention to detail and his skills as a photographer, it's no wonder art galleries come calling. Though Mark verbally details dealing with the beating, it's through his images of Marwencol that we get a visual understanding of his loneliness and anger.

The film does seem to throw a curve ball in the last half hour to drag out its runtime, but the film is enthralling, if for nothing else the continuous discovery of Marwencol and its story lines. Despite Mark's position as a strange, but nice guy almost beaten to death in 2000, he's not a victim – and that might the film's greatest triumph.

Fascinating, captivating, funny, you've got to see this.

-Remington Smith PS This American Life (the TV show) did a segment a while back that featured Mark and Marwencol. Since Marwencol is in limited release, you can check out that episode of This American Life on Netflix instant streaming (Season 2, Episode 3, "Going Down in History").

Marwencol (2010)

[MartinTeller · 8/10 · 12 January 2012]

Like IN THE REALMS OF THE UNREAL, this documentary explores an "outsider artist" who shares his life between reality and a fantasy world of his own construction. Mark Hogancamp's miniature WWII town of "Marwencol" is far less bizarre than Darger's creation, but serves as a reflection of his frustrations, desires, and imagination. It truly is "art as therapy". Director Jeff Malmberg takes a decidedly unflashy approach to the material, mostly just allowing Hogancamp and his associates to speak for themselves. This is really for the best, as Mark is an instantly likable person, not charming so much as open and relatable. The film's revelations are not presented as earth-shattering shockers, but simply facets of a complete person with his own quiet quirks and nagging demons. An understated but fascinating and often inspirational movie about the artist (who didn't know he was one) and the value of art.

Strange and ultimately mystifying documentary

[LilyDaleLady · 6/10 · 20 June 2011]

This is a very unusual documentary about a very unusual guy -- Mark Hogencamp, a sort of "artist by accident". 10 years ago, Mark was beaten almost to death by thugs in a local bar.

Before the accident, he was a severe alcoholic, living a very marginal existence anyhow (in some important ways, MORE marginal than his life after brain damage) and left confusing diaries about his anger, drinking and violence. He was also a pretty accomplished amateur artist, whose drawings focused on images of violence, WWII, busty women, etc.

It is fascinating how this "lost self" rematerializes in the post-injury Mark, who is so terribly damaged and has few memories of his former self (so much so he can't remember the woman he was once married to), by coming out in an odd hobby; Mark designs and builds little sets on which he displays various GI Joe-type dolls and Barbies in WWII scenarios, based less on history than odd re-tellings of his life and his attack (in his fantasies, his attackers are "Nazi SS").

Bits of what memories and recollections he has, his romantic fantasies, his old drawing skills, his fears and anger about being attacked, themes of romantic love and violence, fascination with WWII (long time before, I think, even his parents day) all weave together in a narrative that has come to represent this lonely man's whole existence. That he documents his tableaux in snapshots, and that these were blown up and exhibited in a gallery show, are the underpinnings of this documentary.

I approached this as not just a viewer or fellow artist, but as a fellow adult doll and toy collector. Mark is FAR from the only adult to collect expensive dolls and reproductions and to display them elaborately; unfortunately, I think the filmmakers and their New York art gallery sensibility simply do not understand this, and assume it is a unique form of "insider art". (It isn't; for every Mark, there are a thousand "Lisa's" displaying expensive dolls in elaborate settings with elaborate story lines. However, the likelihood is these female collectors do not have a dramatic back story about mental illness, brain damage, violent attacks or lifelong disability).

Marwencol itself is fascinating, though the filmmakers dodge in and out of it, so that we can't quite get a handle on the scale of it. To my seasoned eyes, it appears to be about the size of small patio -- the whole thing is outdoors, surprisingly in a winter climate -- and built crudely out of plywood. The power of the tableau derives almost entirely from the sophistication of the dolls, and they are NOT dolls Mark has created, but purchased "ball jointed" dolls (for the most part; he has some female Barbie's of the ordinary toy store variety) that are like WWII versions of GI Joe; very pose-able and with hyper-masculine faces. These types of dolls DO look astonishing real, with many points of articulation, but the filmmakers seem obtuse to the fact that MANY people buy these and pose them, though perhaps not to Mr. Hogencamp's obsessive degree. They would not EXIST on the market if there was not a significant demand (and for these WWII homage-type dolls, their audience is 95% male).

It would have considerably more power here if Mark was a savant, who CREATED these dolls, out of wax or wood and paint...if he sewed the tiny, astonishing detailed clothes or carved the tiny amazing (working!) guns. BUT HE DOESN'T. He just BUYS them.

And frankly, here is where I had a disconnect with the message of the film: if he's just buying stuff, and setting it up, he's not that unusual. This is what such dolls are DESIGNED FOR; a sophisticated (and expensive) kind of adult play. (They are not produced for children; not at all.) That means Mark isn't so unusual and his attraction to this kind of play is not a sign of his brain damage or mental illness.

Secondly: because they failed to look into where he gets the dolls (or why there is a market for such dolls), they never ask "what does such a doll cost? and how does a very poor, mentally ill brain damaged man on SSDI afford them?" Because one thing such WWI reproductions are is very costly: I'd say roughly $50-100 per doll. And Hogencamp owns HUNDREDS of dolls, thousands of accessories, jeeps, etc.

Mark lives in a sad little trailer by the side of a busy road, yet he's spending $1000s in taxpayer support on collectible dolls? I don't begrudge him a hobby or a few dolls, but this isn't "a few dolls". This is tens of thousands of dollars of dolls, accessories and photography.

I also wondered a bit about the fact that the entire Marwencol is constructed OUTDOORS, in upstate New York -- a harsh winter climate. It's pretty fragile, and it won't take much to turn it into rubble. Not to mention such pricey dolls and accessories were not designed to sit out of doors in all kinds of weather (even exposure to sunlight will wreck them in short time). What then? Mark is so vested in identity with the dolls (most of whom are designed or chosen to resemble specific people in his life, including himself), I wonder how he'll cope with that inevitable destruction.

A very interesting documentary, that could have dug deeper and asked more questions, but which has an strange kind of power. Enough so that I will probably view it again.

Marwencol

[cultfilmfan · 9/10 · 27 January 2011]

Marwencol is a documentary about Mark Hogancamp, who is a man in his late 30's and one night at a bar he was ganged up on and brutally beaten by a group of people. Mark survived, but was brain damaged and had to learn his motor skills, speech and everything else that he once knew, all over again. Instead of going to expensive therapy sessions, or psychiatry to get over the incident, Mark creates his own therapy and uses his creative outlet by building a model town circa World War 2 in his backyard with old scrap pieces and dolls and other material he buys at the local hobby shop. The film explores Mark's past and what he can remember about it before the accident and also shows how much this miniature town means to him and that this is probably the healthiest and best way for him to cope and get over the traumatic events that he experienced. I really enjoy when a documentary filmmaker does a film about everyday issues such as politics, the environment, or social causes that need light to be shed upon them to make a difference in the world. I also really appreciate when a documentary filmmaker makes a film like Marwencol, and instead of being really high tech, or using a lot of jargonised language and statistics, it instead invites us into the world of it's subject and in a sense, lets us the viewer get up close and personal with them. Marwencol, does not look like it was an expensive film to make and it does not have the fancy camera tricks, or stunts as say a Michael Moore documentary, but it is just as fascinating and affective as any other documentary on the market. The thing about this film is how we really start to like and care about Mark, as an individual and we also really respect and are fascinated by his World War 2 model town. Seeing him taking pictures of it, building onto it and all the precise and accurate measures he goes to, to make it all perfect is fascinating to watch and also at the same time warms our hearts because we see how much this means to him and how important it is for his creative outlet as well as his way of letting go of all his anger and fears that were brought on because of the attack. We see Mark, as he tries to interact with others and naturally he is very cautious and a little afraid to do so now for obvious reasons, but the way he connects with these people and incorporates them into his model village is really special. He may have some trouble interacting with the real version of the doll's inspirations, but when he talks to the dolls resembled after his friends and co-workers, he has a bond with them and he respects them and even in a way loves them in the same way as human beings we would love each other. The artistic aspect of Mark's town is also here. Everything is so detailed and well done that this film is interesting to look at in an artistic way as well. Also to look at Mark's imagination and how he sets up the characters in the town and involves them in story lines and plots that he will remember for weeks, or months after they happen, is nothing short of phenomenal. In a sense we do feel bad for Mark because of the accident and what he had to go through, but in another way we also see how the accident may have saved his life from the destructive behaviour and alcohol dependency he was so relying on before and through this village he has created, it has helped him in so many ways to reach out in a sense to others and himself. It was almost like he was given a second chance at life and I think he feels that way himself and he is going to make the most of it. Marwencol is so fascinating because we like Mark, care and want the best for him as do we for his town as well. Seeing him interact with it and how by doing this he is really helping himself and at the same time opening up a whole new world of opportunities for him. In a sense this is a feel good film because we see the progress that he is making and it would be interesting to see a follow up film several years down the road to further see what he is up to because I know he is going to get better and stronger with time and his art is going to be more and more appreciated. This film works because it is so human and believable and really concerns you and makes you want to cheer for what you have just seen.

Sad but rewarding

[billcr12 · 7/10 · 22 April 2012]

Marwencol is an excellent documentary which tells the story of Mark Hogancamp, who was assaulted by five men outside of a bar and left severely brain damaged after nine days in a coma. He had no memory of his former life.

As a form of therapy, Mark slowly builds a 1/6 scale Belgian World War II era town he names after real people; Mark, Wendy and Colleen. He uses dolls to represent himself and his friends and gives them story lines. He eventually photographs his work and after publication in a magazine, his work is discovered by a New York art gallery; this is a simply amazing story.

Mark has somehow survived against all odds and Marwencol will almost restore your faith in humanity.

the only reason I gave this a 9 out of 10 instead of a 10 out of 10 is. . .

[marymorrissey · 9/10 · 22 November 2010]

please note: I don't think there are really any spoilers below - my comments are kept sufficiently vague so as to preclude giving anything away!

-------

...that this man's story ain't over yet and the film's rather downbeat conclusion, was, I felt, a bit premature, at best. Perhaps I'm overly optimistic (this is not something I'm ever accused of though, lemme point out) but I think better times outside of his backyard "town" await Mark Hogancamp in the big wide world.

And even if his life continues along the same lines . . . I have a problem with the film's ending on a more general level - even if the last line spoken comes straight from the horse's mouth - on account of the 'tragic' overtones resulting from its placement at the very end of the movie.

Typically in the case of portrayals of such "outsiders" as MH, there is, I suspect/feel, misplaced pity directed at such folks whose unconventional lives and choices might seem to the average person restrictive or even out and out depressing and pathetic. It seems to me, contrarily, that what a "special" person of this sort is up to in his private/fantasy dimension ought not so automatically to be "compared" to various facets of the lives of more ordinary people, finding it lacking. Rather, the art/therapy practice of a person like Mark Hogancamp should be envied as something extra, and extra special, in fact, which option, sadly, is denied most of your so-called average persons, consigned to what Thoreau famously referred to as "quiet desperation"! I, at any rate, do not feel so sorry for Mark Hogencamp, in spite of some of the rough circumstances that form the basis of his existence.

He certainly isn't devoid of charm. :)

Marwencol: Artistic outlet, beneficial self-therapy or unhealthy crutch? You decide!

[Turfseer · 6/10 · 18 January 2011]

Marwencol is an unusual documentary about a real-life character, Mark Hogencamp, a resident of Kingston, New York. Hogancamp used to be married and had a hobby as a talented illustrator (although the subject matter of his illustrations, often aggressive and sexually tinged, reflected an angry temperament, undoubtedly exacerbated by alcoholism). Everything changed in 2000 when Hogancamp was assaulted by five low-lifes at a Kingston bar and sustained significant brain damage. He was in a coma for nine days and hospitalized for 40 days, only gradually recovering physically from the attack. As a result of the attack, Hogancamp lost almost all his memories of his former life. At the same time, he completely lost his desire for alcohol and became a much more docile, sensitive person, in contrast to the angry alcoholic of his pre-attack days.

Unable to afford any therapy, Hogancamp created a miniature town called Marwencol inhabited by dolls dressed up as World War II action figures (Marwencol refers to himself and two important women in his life, Wendy and Colleen). One of the dolls is a stand-in for Hogancamp himself and some of the other dolls represent friends or acquaintances who have impacted his life. Hogancamp takes photos of the dolls using various props to create scenes from an occupied town in Belgium during World War II. Hogancamp still is angry about the bar beating but channels the anger by taking revenge on the Nazi action figures who represent the men who beat him back in 2000. Often, he utilizes some of the female dolls to take revenge on the Nazis, who end up as bloodied corpses on his miniature stage.

When a local photographer discovers Hogancamp's collection of photos, he puts him in contact with the publisher of Esopus Magazine, an art magazine, who ends up publishing Hogancamp's work. Later, an art gallery agrees to put on an exhibition of Hogancamp's photos and Hogancamp grapples with the idea of getting out of his shell and making the trip to Greenwich Village where he'll have to interact with real-life people.

I found the most interesting part of 'Marwencol' is when various people talk about Hogancamp including friends, co-workers and those who knew him before he sustained brain damage. These brief interviews serve to fill in the back story regarding Hogancamp's character. In addition, his rise to notice beyond his small circle of friends, is also quite fascinating and perhaps more of the public reaction to this newly found 'artiste', could have been included in the documentary.

Certainly Hogancamp's miniatures have helped him cope with his devastating brain injury and has been instrumental in his recovery. And it is quite clear, that he is a talented person, with an artistic eye. Nonetheless, two questions arise regarding Hogancamp's 'work': 1) Is it really art? and 2) In the long run, is his attachment to his fantasy world, a good thing? For me, Hogancamp's miniatures remind me of the 'kitschy' world of Andy Warhol. His obsession with his make believe town (reminiscent of any mediocre, "B" movie about World War II) should appeal more to comic book aficionados than connoisseurs of serious art. And how long should he immerse himself in this make believe world? Isn't it more healthy to interact with real people than maintain the illusion that he's an action hero in his war against the Third Reich? Yes crutches are good when you're first injured—but there comes a time, when one must throw away one's crutches to make further progress. The film does show that Hogancamp has some friends—but I would have preferred to see him interact with his friends a bit more than fall back into his ruminations regarding imaginary Panzer movements.

Is Hogancamp that disabled, that he is unable to form a relationship again with a woman? At this point he seems more eccentric than devastatingly handicapped. I'm not suggesting that he give up Marwencol, but wouldn't it be better if this was merely a hobby than an obsession? Hopefully Hogancamp can profit from his 'talents' in the future. It wouldn't hurt that at a certain point in the future, he engages a therapist or counselor who can help with social skills so he can make more friends and perhaps get involved with a woman (or a man for that matter).

Marwencol features unique subject matter and is worth viewing simply because it is different and highlights the struggle of one man coping with a devastating brain injury.

Moving and unforgettable

[wavecat13 · 9/10 · 12 July 2021]

This straightforward, low budget documentary tells the weird, moving, and unforgettable story of Mark Hogancamp, a man who suffered severe brain trauma as the result of a beating by a gang of young thugs. As he struggled to get back mentally to where he had been before, he became obsessed with creating dioramas starring toy soldiers, and having them act out dramatic tales, which he would photograph. Eventually some people in the art world took notice of him, and he began having some success. It is wonderful to see that, but it is still quite sad to see a grown man walk down the side of a road pulling a toy Jeep full of toy soldiers whom he feels will protect him from danger.

An Interesting Documentary Worth a Look See

[ThreeGuysOneMovie · 7/10 · 22 September 2011]

Suffering from brain damage and permanent memory loss , Mark Hogancamp spent nine days in a coma after a severe beating which almost killed him. When he awoke Mark went through therapy to try and regain all the skills that he lost. After leaving the hospital Mark began his own therapy in the form of Marwencol, a 1/6th scale World War II era town he built and is inhabited by dolls. Using some of the dolls as representations for people he knows, Mark creates numerous stories within Marwencol, some of which relate to the time he was assaulted.

When his photographs are seen by magazine publisher an art show is set up in Greenwich village, New York. Conflicted by whether or not to go ahead with the show Mark must decide if he wants to keep his therapy to himself or share it with the outside world, which he doesn't have much interaction with and doesn't feel safe in.

An interesting documentary, this film gives a view into the world of a man who has created a unique way to deal with the trauma of having nothing from a life he had prior to an assault outside a bar. The viewer gets to see the before and after sides to Mark's personality, some which seem a little creepy and others which show him as a simple man trying to get his life back. More importantly it shows how Mark didn't just become a victim who gave up because of what happened to him. Although the film tends to lag a little near the end and leaves a few questions unanswered this is worth viewing.

I feel sorry for the guy who was attacked. I feel sorry for me sitting through this.

[asc85 · 3/10 · 30 March 2019]

This had been sitting in my Netflix queue since it had been released on DVD in 2010. I guess I thought about finally watching it due to the release of "Welcome to Marwen," the mainstream film that bombed in 2018 that was based on this documentary. I didn't watch the 2018 bomb because it...bombed.

Anyway, while I truly felt sorry for what happened to Mark H., and while I think what he's done for himself is interesting, this seemed very thin to put into a nearly 90 minute documentary. Maybe a 20 minute version on a news magazine show would have been more appropriate. Or maybe if they dealt more with his personal life, especially that fetish that he has which wasn't revealed until late in the movie, it would have been more interesting. But showing me multiple make-believe stories that he has developed in his "town", and we see pictures of his dolls posed in positions to back up his story? I just found that to be very uninteresting and boring.

A tender mix of art and therapy

[The_Film_Cricket · 13 April 2011]

The very first thing that one notices about Mark Hogancamp are his eyes. They are small and look a little tired, as if he just woke up from a long sleep. There is no distance in his eyes, they don't seem to contain memories. Rather, they seem very much focused on the present. When he speaks he has a sweet-natured voice, solemn and intelligent. There is no regret in his demeanor despite his age which I range at about somewhere in his mid-40s.

The manner in which Hogancamp carries himself is specifically rooted in an incident that changed his life. On April 8, 2000, he was leaving a bar when he was attacked by five men who beat him almost to death. The men were arrested and Hogancamp spent nine days in a coma and forty days in the hospital. When he woke up, he had severe brain damage and most of his memory was gone. Years after his incident, his brain is still a little mushy. He works a quiet job, oddly enough, at The Anchorage, the same bar where he was attacked. Not having memories of the attack, he has no anxieties about working there.

The documentary 'Marwencol' settles firmly on Hogancamp who says that due to his injury he has no real memories, only flashes of memory, like snapshots. He knows of his past because of diary entries written before the attack. He reads them, but doesn't recognize the person who wrote them. He knows that that man was an alcoholic, who was bitter and angry, but he also knows that he had an artistic talent. He shows us sketches that are not out of the ordinary. After the attack, he could no longer draw because his hands shook too much.

He could not afford therapy, so he made his own. In his back yard, he created the tiny, fictional town of Marwencol, a Belgian World War II-era town made of dolls and small buildings. His dolls represent people in his life. His own alter-ego is a hero-type that has a head the looks a little like Harrison Ford. His mother's alter-ego has a head that came from a Pussy Galore doll. His former girlfriend is represented by a Barbie doll. He collects his dolls and studies them, trying to see who they could represent. When he puts his dolls inside the model, they don't just stand stiffly, but they seem modulated as if frozen in a moment of action.

Marwencol becomes Hogancamp's entire world. He creates each character down to the most finite detail, including a backstory. He tells us the stories of what goes on in Marwencol, not as play acting but as if it is really happening. He tells about how his alter-ego wandered into the town and settled down to open a bar. No one is allowed to fight in Marwencol, the only fights are staged catfights inside the bar. Then the Nazi's showed up and he corralled all of the citizenry into his bar while the Nazis kicked down doors trying to find out where it was. His employer Rose is stunned to find that her alter-ego was killed by the Nazis because she wouldn't talk.

What becomes apparent as he tells the story is that Hogancamp isn't just playing with dolls, he is finding a manner in which to deal with his trauma. His alter-ego in Marwencol, is stripped and beaten by the SS just as he was in real life. He cannot remember the attack, he just feeds off of information from his assailant's testimony and from what he has been told. The play acting is a manner in which he can piece that moment together and deal with it on a realistic level.

It is hard to really describe what makes 'Marwencol' really special. It is a quiet, tenderly beautiful story of a man who stepped back from the edge of a near-fatal incident and creates his own therapy through art. The photos he takes of his tiny town are crisp and beautiful (I have featured some of them below). The characters seem alive even though his subjects are immobile. He modulates every single tiny detail perfectly. It is a futile exercise in trying to understand the effect this movie has on you once you let yourself be carried away by Hogancamp's imagination. He takes us so solidly and so convincingly into his tiny man-made world that, after a while, we forget that we are simply looking at dolls. It sounds strange, but I felt I got to know the people Marwencol so well that when one of the women in town left her boyfriend for another man, I felt a little sad.

***1/2 (of four)

Why all the girls?

[darkbytes · 2/10 · 23 February 2019]

Look... I'm sorry about what happen to the guy.... But all the female dolls (some if them naked)? That's not therapy....that's sexual fantasies for sexual repression....That's when I lost interest on this guy and the movie

Exposed Cathouse Tortures

[tedg · 11 June 2011]

I saw this with a science documentary that bothered me because instead of giving us the worthwhile narrative of the actual events, it invented a narrative of 'discovery' that was bogus and which occluded the cool stuff.

This film settled me because it is an intelligent examination of a related but larger issue. What do we care about the nature of an artist? How much does it matter? Does it matter that Vincent was an intriguing soul whose dark letters we have next to his brilliant sunflowers? Surely a life can be artfully lived; but what does it mean for it to be exposed as art?

You take your pick and create your own balance, and this film forces you into a disturbing dilemma.

The 'outer' story is the one we are seemingly supposed to engage with: a sick but likable man has interesting obsessions that in presentations outside the film are seen as art. This fits the template of documentaries about Robert Crumb, Henry Darger, Bruce Bickford and the dozens of fictionalized films about artists. We love knowing about them, in the delusion that knowing the artist somehow gives access to the magic of their art. In my experience, an artist is often the last person who can do this. He/she even becomes a barrier. (This excludes a class of personal exhibition that uses the body.)

Let's just say that what matters here is that the artist is in a situation where his art matters to him, he is a master at framing a scene to richly confer narrative. And he does so with ordinary cameras and dolls.

The 'inner' story here is one of tortured lives and simple romances as clarified through simple abstractions of pose. It is all about poses. The artifice that these are dolls in some demented guy's backyard fades away. We don't see much of the artists work, because the filmmaker wants us to see his own. But when we do, it transports. I suspect that if we knew much less, they would matter more. But that balance, that balance is what we strike in our own tortured art of observation.

Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.

I Would Like To Know...

[jgbook2007 · 6 December 2010]

...what the conclusion of the film is .

I would like a spoiler , in other words .

I doubt that I will see this film theatrically - Movie theaters tend towards 410-$10.50 out my way , and a film such as this , arguably , is more a television/video documentary piece making a brief stop at theaters in a very few markets - So , could someone spoil it for me, please ?

Mark's " secret " behind the beating , how the exibition works out , that last line...

I am VERY poor at present , BTW .