Review of Welcome to Marwen (2018) by Scott B — 28 Dec 2018

Created an account just to write this review, hoping to counter negative reviews. Saw this film last night and found it delightful and fanciful, if a little surprisingly light-handed in some ways. And yet, the redemption and forgiveness (of self & others) overtones were a refreshing departure from other recent releases.

Yes, this moive suffers the same flaws as many "adapted" biopics: that is, the storytelling unfolds using a sort of shorthand that is pretty typical when you have a cast characters (greater than 2?) that you need the audience invested in but not a significant amount of time to do it. And this is probably my single biggest disappointment here. There are some clear shortcuts taken to give the illusion of emotional depth and complexity, and they are painfully obvious at times.

The *potential* is palpable upon reflection, especially given the admirable performances. However, I'd still consider myself a fan of this film and recommend it if you appreciate a strongly character-driven narrative yet need a respite from walking out of the theater with the depressive tinge of other recent options.