Marwencol

“Marwencol” is a documentary by Jeff  Malmberg. The film follows Mark Hogancamp, who after being viciously beaten, sustains brain damage which destroys his fine motor skills. As his own therapy, to work on his fine motor skills as well as deal with and avoid the outside world, Hogancamp constructs an elaborate WWII-era town on a 1/6 scale which he names “Marwencol”. He lives his life as the main character in this town, and is surrounded by action-figure representations of important people in his life. Eventually Hogancamp, “Marwencol,” and his photos are discovered. When the opportunity arises for Hogancamp to show these photos in a prominent New York gallery, the film takes a turn, focusing on Hogancamp’s mental struggle considering making his private, therapeutic world a public entity.

            “Marwencol” is shot in documentary style, and Malmberg’s presence as the director is minimal. I got the feeling as a viewer that Malmberg cultivated a friendship with Hogancamp before the film was shot, because for someone who is generally quite socially inept, Mark seems very comfortable going about his life with the presence of the camera.

            Some of the big questions raised in “Marwencol” are ones that don’t have straight answers. Should art be considered art if the maker doesn’t and has never seen his or her work in that way? Is Malmberg being helped or exploited by putting these photos on exhibition? In conclusion the film offers few answers to the questions it raises. Since the film is a portrait of Hogancamp, there can be no real answers to these questions since he himself is still struggling with them.