Review of Welcome to Marwen (2018) by David B — 12 Jan 2019

When I first saw the trailer for this movie, I thought that it looked really good, so I was pretty surprised that when it came out, the reviews it got were terrible. Despite this, I decided to give it a try anyway....

Basically, I fully enjoyed it. I thought that it was emotional and moving. It is a captivating story that centers around it's unique characters. Steve Carell's performance is fantastic, of course, as he completely becomes Mark Hogancamp, a man tortured by PTSD who finds escape in photographing dolls in the fictional world of Marwen. The rest of cast is also fantastic, and I became very involved with all of the characters, both in Marwen and in real life.

It is awkward and uncomfortable, and at times difficult to watch, but in a good way. The back and forth between reality and the fantasy world of Mark's dolls, and the symbolism involved in this, is a great way to tell the story, and is also very visually pleasing. It is an odd film, but an enjoyable one.