Featured Audience Ratings

• Lorenzo v

  
  <i>"When his world was stolen, Mark Hogancamp made a world of his own."</i> After a vicious attacks leaves him brain-damaged and broke, Mark Hogancamp seeks recovery in "Marwencol", a 1/6th scale World War II-era town he creates in his backyard.… More
  <i>"When his world was stolen, Mark Hogancamp made a world of his own."</i> After a vicious attacks leaves him brain-damaged and broke, Mark Hogancamp seeks recovery in "Marwencol", a 1/6th scale World War II-era town he creates in his backyard. <center><font size=+2 face="Century Schoolbook"><b><u>REVIEW</u></b></font></center> 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.

• Spencer S

  
  More than a simple documentary about an artform, Marwencol digs deep into the psyche and troubled past of the creator, Mark Hogencamp. Beaten by five men and left brain damaged, Mark had to relearn everything about his own life all over again. Because he has little money, Mark's… More
  More than a simple documentary about an artform, Marwencol digs deep into the psyche and troubled past of the creator, Mark Hogencamp. Beaten by five men and left brain damaged, Mark had to relearn everything about his own life all over again. Because he has little money, Mark's various physical and psychological therapies are cut off after a short amount of time. In his desperation to learn about himself, he begins developing a town called Marwencol, inhabited by Barbies, GI Joes, and various other dolls. Each doll is the "alter-ego" of someone in Mark's life, including his mother, ex-wife, and co-workers. Over time the town mirrors events in his own life, or least the way he wants his life to be. In his town he's found true love, fights Nazis, and runs a bar/cat fighting club. Through the process of putting this together, Mark is forced to face his years of alcoholism, and fetish for women's shoes, which had led to his original attack. Moving, and full of empathetic scenes, Marwencol is as close to heartbreaking as humanly possible.

• Stella D

  
  the VERY strange tale of a man who built a town-- a miniature town in his backyard. using dolls he plays out an elaborate fantasy of WW2 with himself as the hero. mark hogancamp suffered brain damage and amnesia after a brutal attack that left him comatose for 9 days. after… More
  the VERY strange tale of a man who built a town-- a miniature town in his backyard. using dolls he plays out an elaborate fantasy of WW2 with himself as the hero. mark hogancamp suffered brain damage and amnesia after a brutal attack that left him comatose for 9 days. after relearning basic skills he returned home and began building elaborate sets, inventing scenarios and photographing them. when a local photographer stumbles on him he becomes a minor art world celebrity. the remarkable thing about his work is that 'there's no irony in it.' indeed there isn't. mark isn't capable of irony. he isn't self aware. he's living in this world day to day and i'm not at all sure if it's therapy as is claimed or just a well-developed escape from reality. anyway it's not my place to judge and i wish him all the best. this is streaming on netflix so check it out; it's fascinating

• Anthony L

  
  There isn't really much else to Mark Hogancamp's after the first 10 minutes of this film but that said, something interesting always seems to happen just before you start to loose interest. I don't want to spoil it but the last 'revelation' is treated as much… More
  There isn't really much else to Mark Hogancamp's after the first 10 minutes of this film but that said, something interesting always seems to happen just before you start to loose interest. I don't want to spoil it but the last 'revelation' is treated as much more of a big deal than it really is. I liked this film for the models to be honest, I love the idea and I thought the photos were brilliant. I think the best moments for me are missed by Jeff Malmberg though and I hope that not too much was lost in the editing room. I really liked his best friends interviews and he summed up the situation brilliantly when he said 'Some guy said 'I'm not interested in fake war, I want to see real War' and I said 'This is a real War man''. He should have had far more screen time in my opinion and it does suffer from a certain documentary structure cliche that is becoming a little too familiar of late, especially in American documentaries but overall a good and original documentary.

• Walter M

  
  "Marwencol" is an intriguing documentary about an intriguing individual, Mark Hogancamp. On a general level, it is concerned with identity, as after having been savagely beaten outside of a bar in Kingston, NY, that leaves him in a coma for nine days and requiring facial… More
  "Marwencol" is an intriguing documentary about an intriguing individual, Mark Hogancamp. On a general level, it is concerned with identity, as after having been savagely beaten outside of a bar in Kingston, NY, that leaves him in a coma for nine days and requiring facial reconstruction surgery, he suffers from brain damage that causes a loss of memory which returns in brief flashes.(The most unsettling and scariest parts of the film are of him walking along narrow country roads.) In time, he learns he used to be self-destructive in his heavy drinking which he puts a stop to and is definitely surprised at the amount of women's shoes he owns. Mark does not last long in formal therapy. And no longer able to draw like he used to, he constructs a lovingly detailed reconstruction of a Belgian village from World War II, 'Marwencol,' populated by action figures and Barbie dolls, in which he casts himself as the main hero, simultaneously a man of action and a bartender who no longer drinks like, as he says, Sam Malone.(Which I never saw the logic of, but whatever.) And, yes, of course, there is a time machine. This allows him to work out his frustrations and fantasies safely(especially involving cat fights) and his friends and co-workers feel it an honor to also be represented. So, in the end, you have acceptance.

• Eric B

  
  "Marwencol" is a remarkable documentary. The premise is well-explained in the official review above, so there is little reason to restate it myself. But the intricacy and realism of Hogancamp's miniature stagings -- and even his skills in photographing them -- are so… More
  "Marwencol" is a remarkable documentary. The premise is well-explained in the official review above, so there is little reason to restate it myself. But the intricacy and realism of Hogancamp's miniature stagings -- and even his skills in photographing them -- are so unique that no verbal description can convey just how fascinating his project is to observe. I have minor quibbles with how the film is structured. The story is shot in such extreme closeup that there's not enough sense of how large the Marwencol "set" is -- a few establishing shots at the beginning really would have helped. Also, director Jeff Malmberg takes too long to clarify that his subject's emphasis is on photography. For awhile, one wonders whether Hogancamp simply poses these dolls as a fleeting, playtime fantasy. Still, his story is such a sure thing that it's near impossible to botch. Be forewarned that Hogancamp is not entirely sympathetic. His doting adoration for his female dolls can be disturbing (his favorites "sleep" on the nightstand next to his bed and are told "I love you" as he switches off the light) and his fixation on "catfights" suggests some cretinous tendencies. However, his bitterness toward his past attackers is easy to accept, and his constructive way of rechanneling that anger is a creative marvel. The latter portion reveals another intriguing quirk of Hogancamp's character that shall go unspoken, and the final few minutes add a recursive twist of staggering brilliance. Seek out this film. Rent it along with "Crumb" and give yourself a double bill of unlikely artists and their coping mechanisms. "Marwencol" does have an unfortunate postscript: The requirements of Hogancamp's welfare status prevent him from earning income from his work. Selling his photos means forfeiting his disability checks. As yet, his only workaround is asking supporters to donate credit for him to buy supplies at his favored hobby shop.

• John B

  
  Documentary film makers seem to be tripping over themselves to document not the most important persons in society but rather the odd. Here we take an uncomfortable journey into the life of Mark Hogancamp, a clearly disturbed man, who finds escape in disturbing arrangements of dolls.… More
  Documentary film makers seem to be tripping over themselves to document not the most important persons in society but rather the odd. Here we take an uncomfortable journey into the life of Mark Hogancamp, a clearly disturbed man, who finds escape in disturbing arrangements of dolls. Get this man some help.

• Bill C

  
  Very neutral story telling of a man recovering not only from his brain damage, but his life before the brain damage. The movie starts with a sympathetic portrayal of a man who is injured and looses all his knowledge and memories at 37 and has to relearn everything. Once he relearns… More
  Very neutral story telling of a man recovering not only from his brain damage, but his life before the brain damage. The movie starts with a sympathetic portrayal of a man who is injured and looses all his knowledge and memories at 37 and has to relearn everything. Once he relearns the basic he has to reinvent himself. He learns from his friends who he was whether alcoholism failed marriage cross-dresser and artist. In recreating his life he chooses what qualities to carry forward. There is a parallel narrative of his hobby/Life/Art of building dioramas featuring him and his friends in 1/6-th scale living lives in WWII that parallel the events in his life.

• Jason R

  
  A man is beaten so severly that he suffers substantial damage to his brain, forcing him to relearn everything. Out of this tragedy the man not only rediscovers himself, but finds a hidden and very wonderful gift. Normally I watch a movie and if it is good, then it is good. But then I… More
  A man is beaten so severly that he suffers substantial damage to his brain, forcing him to relearn everything. Out of this tragedy the man not only rediscovers himself, but finds a hidden and very wonderful gift. Normally I watch a movie and if it is good, then it is good. But then I watch a film like MARWENCOL and it stays with me, and this film will stay in my mind for quite some time.

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