Review of Marwencol (2010) by Jennifer F — 15 Dec 2010

The world of 'Marwencol' was created primarily for the therapy of Mark Hogancamp, by Mark Hogancamp, a man who was brutally attacked by five men for reasons which, at first, aren't disclosed to the viewer.

Hogancamp details his world as a place where he can live the life that no one seemingly let him live. While involving his closest friends and workmates as characters in his world, he designates how their lives are either grand successes or serious failures. Either way, he utilizes the world of Marwencol as a safe haven, dream world and, at times, a tool to help him remember the past which had been taken away from him via the horrible beatings he had received.

While the documentary had shown the viewer a brave and somewhat visceral man overcoming common negativity and hate, it felt as though the story had been stretched to sum up to an 83-minute run time. Some might have wanted more information about Hogancamp's past, present and potential future, while others (present company included) wanted the documentary to finish. No disrespect to Mark Hogancamp, but the story did seem to drag on a tad.

I had felt somewhat enamored by Hogancamp's methods of living vicariously through his world and porting it into the real world. Some (or many) might have found the idea to be creepy and unsettling, but that loneliness from which Hogancamp had suffered from needed some sort of therapy. In a broad sense, his methods were harmless.

'Marwencol' is definitely worth a watch, but just one.