Review
JAMIE EAST AT THE MOVIES
Welcome to Marwen is a curious film that draws you in but dashes too often into fantasy
Artistic licence is perfectly acceptable, but whether the story was sanitised too much is debatable
DIRECTOR Robert Zemeckis finally gets his hands on actor Steve Carell and brings us this – the true story of Mark Hogancamp, a victim of such a brutal homophobic assault it left him fighting for his life and with chronic amnesia.
His self-help programme found him withdrawing into the mythical town of Marwen (the full name would spoil things for you) where he lives his life as a doll, fighting Nazis alongside his team of women, each offering him a different type of help.
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Hogancamp photographed these doll scenes and the resulting exhibition was hugely successful. It’s a curious film, propped up with the might of the director and charisma of its lead. The story itself is incredible and obviously a tantalising prospect for any filmmaker.
It’s touching, funny and tragic and much like Tom Hanks as Gump or Michael J Fox as McFly, Zemeckis struck gold here with Carell – who can’t do much wrong at the moment. He is as amiable and “everyman” as ever, boosted by a welcome appearance from Nurse Jackie’s Merritt Wever.
Visually it is stunning, as you would expect. Motion capture has come a long way since The Polar Express and the fictional town of Marwen feels as dreamlike and imaginative as the mind it comes from. Zemeckis sure can tell a story with panache and style (even dipping into his most feted back catalogue for the film’s climax), but I found myself wanting more from the world he creates.
Artistic licence is perfectly acceptable, but whether the story was sanitised too much is debatable.
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Mark’s cross-dressing is not shied away from (unless you count the film’s entire marketing campaign), yet I’m not sure the sheen of sentimentality that veneers everything is needed. His relationship with women (both in real and doll life) was for me the most interesting aspect to the whole film, yet we seem to revert to type a little quickly – not one person gets the space they need to tell the full story.
It’s a film that certainly draws you in – you give yourself to it very quickly, such is the inviting premise. But whenever it verges on getting to the heart of Mark’s problems we find ourselves going on a madcap dash into fantasy. That may in itself be an intentional representation of someone with crippling PTSD, but it wasn’t quite enough for me as I felt confused.
- To hear my interview with Welcome to Marwen’s director and to get the latest on the rumoured Back to the Future remake, subscribe to the TalkFILM podcast.
Welcome To Marwen 116mins (12A)
★★★☆☆
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