Marwencol

“Marwencol” is probably not a movie you will be able to see when I post this review. I saw it today at SXSW. And while I wouldn't classify it as a great documentary per se, its subject is fascinating. It revolves around the life of artist Mark Hogancamp as he struggles to recover from an attack that left him brain damaged, by creating a miniature world in his yard. This is one of those things that's stranger than fiction; if you made it up no one would buy it, but it is in fact real.

Before the attack Hogancamp was an alcoholic, with a great artistic talent. After he was brain damaged he not only lost all his memories but also his motor skills and his identity. He no longer had any desire to drink but he also lost his ability to draw. When he ran out of money to pay for therapy, necessity drove him to escape into a 1/6th scale World War II town of his own construction named Marwencol. He created doppelgangers of himself and those in his life and created stories within this small world as a way of regaining his mental faculties. His talent for composition and artistic attention to detail could not be undone by the brutal assault he suffered. These are in fact the most stunning images in the whole film.

It's hard for me to criticize this film. Although the narrative takes odd turns, it’s extraordinary. But what makes it extraordinary is Hogancamp. The film itself loses focus. The director tries to bring the audience into Hogancamp’s state of mind by leaving out some of the details in the bigger picture of his life, because after all he himself doesn't even know who he is. But this leads to certain points in the film that just feel out of place. The most engaging thing in the film is the photographs that Hogancamp creates and the stories he invents, which gets derailed by the portrait of the artist. It's amazing to see how he uses his models to cope with the realities of his life. And no doubt the story is much richer by understanding who this person is in appreciating his art. But the narrative meanders toward the end of the film. Hogancamp is this film, and so it ends up being a film with an interesting subject as opposed to an interesting film. I have the utmost respect for the film maker who was able to give us a window into the life of an intriguing artist, but in the end I was more interested in the art than the artist, which is odd. I still highly recommend seeing this film because it is unlike anything I have ever seen before.