WELCOME TO MARWEN
Living dolls…
Out 1 January
In 2000, artist and photographer Mark Hogancamp was the victim of an assault that left him brain-damaged. His recovery was aided by a unique form of self-therapy: staging WW2-era scenarios in his back garden using life-like dolls. Hogancamp, however, has already been the subject of a 2010 doc, Village Of The Dolls, and sadly, Robert Zemeckis’ new, dramatised take never nails the essence of this remarkable true-life tale.
Steve Carell plays Hogancamp, who’s barely able to recall his life before five men beat him up in a bar. The film begins with a device frequently reprised, with Carell mo-capped to look like a soldier doll – all part of the war scenes that Hogancamp plays out in an invented town called Marwen. Mark’s flights of fancy also involve a witch (Diane Kruger) and others he meets, including new neighbour Nicol (Leslie Mann).
If Mark is suffering from an extreme form of PTSD, he does have kindly souls around him, from Merritt Wever’s toyshop employee to Gwendoline Christie’s Russian caretaker. Zemeckis, however, often seems more interested in quoting himself
– whether it’s the title character of Forrest Gump or a DeLoreanlike time-travelling car.
While the film bulges with ideas, it doesn’t really knit together, despite the seamless blending of real-world live action and Hogancamp’s CG imagination. You’ll certainly feel sympathy for Carell’s character – especially when he’s in court facing his attackers – but Welcome To Marwen ultimately misses the mark. You’re better off tracking down the documentary. James Mottram
tHe VerDIct
Despite Carell’s best efforts, Zemeckis never really delivers the expected emotional punch.