Director: Robert Zemeckis
Writer: Robert Zemeckis, Carlone Thompson (Screenplay)
Starring: Steve Carell, Lesle Mann, Matt O’Leary, Nikolai Witschl, Patrick Roccas, Alexander Lowe, Eiza Gonzalez
Plot: A victim of a brutal attack finds a unique and beautiful therapeutic outlet to help him through his recovery process.
Runtime: 1 Hour 55 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Welcome to Marwen starts as Mark Hogancamp (Carell) as he builds the model world on World War II Belgium where he is the famous Cap’s Hogie, fighting Nazis along with a host of beautiful women from his own life. Mark is trapped in this world where he is struggling to recover from a brutal attack that has taken him out of his normal life, until he meets his new neighbour Nicol (Mann) who is willing to listen to his stories.
Thoughts on Welcome to Marwen
Thoughts – Welcome to Marwen is a unique biopic about a man that has struggled to cope with his life after a brutal attack, leading him to make his own world that will see him use this to try and channel the problems in his life, right before the final hearing of the men that attacked him. This will help highlight what it is like to be a victim of senseless crime, how the recovery process after the first stages of treatment, will see people create a world to fight through. This is such a unique way to tell the story, which will keep each seen having a strange edge to it. Steve Carell does shine in this role, showing the tragic side of what happened and his recovery, while getting a moment or two of comedy out of the film. In the supporting roles the women all shine, bring the different figures into his world. With the animation used to create the battle scenes with the figure all working wonderfully constructed, blending into the art project Mark is working on.
Final Thoughts – Welcome to Marwen is a wonderful look at recovery, through learning to stop blaming yourself for being the victim.
