Truth tends to clutter fiction in weird ways, as evidenced by this intriguing drama. Welcome to Marwen chronicles one man’s journey to recover from a traumatic brain injury. Its preview reveals this clearly and promises an inspiring, imaginative narrative as artist Mark Hogancamp (Steve Carell) constructs scenarios with dolls and toys to deal with his loss of memory and physical and emotional pain, all the while trying to reconnect with society and eventually having to go to court to face the brutes who beat him senseless. Yet the preview makes no mention of the instigating factor which, when revealed, might change how one feels about the character.
Robert Zemeckis’ film masterfully blends Hogancamp’s prosaic, ordinary existence with his dramatic, imaginative world of World War II Belgium, where his alter ego, Captain Hogie, is repeatedly attacked and beaten by Nazis, only to be rescued by a handful of the village’s women, all of whom are based on people Hogancamp knows (since the beating). The dolls come alive and enact Hogancamp’s daydreams with sharply-defined style and humor, and they have no problem outwitting the evil forces intent on destroying him. Psychologically this is a treasure trove of compressed feelings and fears through which to delve (for which I am not trained), but quite a bit of Hogancamp’s inward self is clearly revealed. Such depth keeps at bay any silliness of doll playing, especially as it is explained early on that Hogancamp photographs his miniaturized adventures and is about to have his first art show of these photographs.
The wrinkle comes when it is revealed that Hogancamp likes to wear women’s shoes, and still finds comfort in doing so, even after being beaten nearly to death because of it. Does this make a difference? Nobody deserves what happened to Mark Hogancamp, and his fetish or obsession should never have led to such violence. But because such behavior is still considered weird or deviant by some people, the reality that a man wearing women’s shoes is part of the (true) story is keeping viewers away from the film, or turning viewers cold when that fact is revealed. I admit that it made me somewhat uncomfortable. But then I wondered why. Who cares if some guy wants to wear women’s shoes? It’s really no business of mine, and certainly no reason for that guy to have been beaten to a pulp. Yet it is telling that the film’s advertising ignores this aspect of the story, and that the film has received some scathing reviews because of this story element. As I said before, sometimes the truth clutters fiction; I don’t think there is any doubt that the film would be more straightforward and streamlined (and probably more palatable to viewers) if this element had been changed to some other motivation. But I give credit to the filmmakers for keeping the story as real as they could, considering this unusual format. For the real, actual story, see Jeff Malmberg’s 2010 documentary Marwencol, which led to this fictional version of Hogancamp’s experiences.
Robert Zemeckis’ films have been pushing technological boundaries and types of storytelling since the 1980s. I’m not always a fan (I still don’t care much for Forrest Gump or The Polar Express, for instance), but when he is on point, the results are spectacular. Much of Welcome to Marwen is spectacular, and certainly invites subsequent viewings to appreciate it all. The acting is tremendous all around, and I love Hogancamp’s attitudes about women, whom he clearly worships. It’s nice to see an imaginative movie where all of the important focus is on someone’s internal struggle, and where a community of non-judgmental people are willing to help that person heal in his own time and manner. ☆ ☆ ☆. 9 January 2019.