Marwencol (2010)
93%RT Audience Score: 87%
Awards & Nominations: 2 wins & 8 nominations
Inspiring and fascinating, Marwencol depicts its subject with heartfelt tenderness, raising poignant questions about art and personal tragedy along the way.
Marwencol is a documentary that will make you laugh, cry, and question the very nature of art. It tells the story of Mark Hogancamp, a man who creates an intricate world of dolls and dioramas as a way to cope with the trauma of a brutal attack. Director Jeff Malmberg captures the heart and soul of Hogancamp’s art, and the result is a film that is both hypnotic and unnerving. But don’t worry, you don’t have to be an art critic to appreciate Marwencol. It’s a quirky and fun documentary that will leave you feeling inspired and amazed.
Production Company(ies)
Perfect Day Films,
Distributor
Cinema Guild
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Maple Ridge, British Columbia, Canada
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG-13 for sequences of fantasy violence, some disturbing images, brief suggestive content, thematic material and language
Year of Release
2018
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Digital
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Aspect ratio:2.39 : 1
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Runtime:1h 23m
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Language(s):English, German, French, Russian
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Oct 8, 2010 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 12, 2011
Genre(s)
Keyword(s)
Marwencol, documentary, Mark Hogancamp, World War II, miniature town, backyard, photographic stories, art, personal tragedy, inspiring, heartfelt tenderness, Jeff Malmberg, directed by, Tom Putnam, Matt Radecki, Chris Shellen, produced by, Cinema Guild, distributor, English, Ash Black Bufflo, original music, box office, gross USA, $112.0K, critic reviews, reviewed by, Vox, Boston Globe, Seattle Times, Toronto Star, St Louis Post-Dispatch, Washington Post, Floating World, Maclean’s Magazine, From the Front Row, Movie Nation, Urban Cinefile, documentary, inspiring, art, personal tragedy, brain damage, memory loss, therapy, dolls, Barbies, GI Joes, alter-ego, alcoholism, cross-dresser, artist, WWII, dioramas, emotion, identity, self-healing, recovery, poignant questions, box office performance, budget, producer names, MPAA rating, genre, critic names, actor names
Worldwide gross: $13,061,491
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $15,370,420
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,810
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 1,676,164
US/Canada gross: $10,763,520
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $12,666,228
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,545
US/Canada opening weekend: $2,354,205
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $2,770,367
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,169
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $39,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $45,894,177
Production budget ranking: 859
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $24,714,014
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$55,237,771
ROI to date (est.): -78%
ROI ranking: 1,866
Jeff Malmberg – Producer
Tom Putnam – Producer
Matt Radecki – Producer
Chris Shellen – Producer
Ash Black Bufflo – Original Music
Director(s)
Jeff Malmberg
Writer(s)
NA
Producer(s)
NA
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
2 wins & 8 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (63) | Top Critics (24) | Fresh (62) | Rotten (1)
Malmberg hangs back, allowing the character of Hogancamp – rather than any contrivance or “plot” – to power the film.
December 19, 2018 | Rating: 4/5
Alissa Wilkinson
Vox
TOP CRITIC
November 24, 2011 | Rating: 4/4
Ty Burr
Boston Globe
TOP CRITIC
Simultaneously hypnotic and unnerving, it asks some rather uncomfortable questions about the nature of art and the potential and limits of self-healing.
December 28, 2010 | Rating: 3/4
John Hartl
Seattle Times
TOP CRITIC
Director Jeff Malmberg sees something in Hogancamp that he wants all of us to see, an imperfect human scarred by horrific trauma who nonetheless finds a reason to live.
December 28, 2010 | Rating: 3/4
Bruce DeMara
Toronto Star
TOP CRITIC
Hogancamp’s alliance with director Jeff Malmberg in this artful and poignant film marks a victory in the war against the self.
December 17, 2010 | Rating: 3.5/4
Joe Williams
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
TOP CRITIC
A fine, delicately nuanced portrait of an artist compelled by mysterious forces to create something utterly unique.
December 10, 2010 | Rating: 3/4
Ann Hornaday
Washington Post
TOP CRITIC
Malmberg’s documentary is tender and intimate. Horgancamp is never treated or seen as a freak but a genuine folk artist with great imagination.
March 21, 2021
Dustin Chang
Floating World
Marwencol is a brilliant exploration of the elusive line that separates art from delusion.
August 26, 2019
Brian D. Johnson
Maclean’s Magazine
A fascinating portrait of an artist who didn’t even know he was one that challenges its audiences’ notions of art and reality by confronting them with a man who refuses to be pigeonholed.
August 5, 2019 | Rating: 3/4
Mattie Lucas
From the Front Row
Quirky documentary about an eccentric dolls-diorama artist with a seriously sad personal history inspiring his art — the inspiration for “Welcome to Marwen.”
June 20, 2018 | Rating: 2.5/4
Roger Moore
Movie Nation
Extraordinary, astonishing, revealing, unique
September 9, 2012
Andrew L. Urban
Urban Cinefile
Truly inspiring
September 9, 2012
Louise Keller
Urban Cinefile…
Plot
On April 8, 2000, aspiring artist Mark Hogancamp (Steve Carell) became a victim of a violent assault when five men beat him up and left him for dead. Following the attack, Mark was left with little to no memory of his previous life due to brain damage inflicted by his attackers. In a desperate attempt to regain his memories, Hogancamp constructs a miniature World War II village called Marwen in his yard to help in his recovery. Unfortunately, Mark’s demons come back to haunt him when he’s asked to testify against the five men that attacked him..
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The critics consensus for Marwencol is “Inspiring and fascinating, Marwencol depicts its subject with heartfelt tenderness, raising poignant questions about art and personal tragedy along the way.”
Jeff-Malmberg.jpg
