Marwencol

4 votes and 2 Reviews

Rotten Tomatoes® Score
98% 87%

Release Date: November 4, 2010 (limited)

Documentary

After being beaten into a coma by five men outside a tavern, Mark Hogancamp was left brain-damaged and struggling to get his motor skills back. To help him heal, Mark built a 1/6th scale World War II-era town in his backyard. Mark populates the town he dubs "Marwencol" with dolls representing his friends and family and creates lifelike photographs detailing the town's many relationships and dramas.

Playing in the town and photographing the action helps Mark to recover his hand/eye coordination and deal with the emotional wounds of the attack, which took place for the simple reason that Mark admitted he liked cross-dressing. When Mark and his photographs are discovered, a prestigious New York gallery sets up an art show. Suddenly Mark's homemade therapy is deemed "art," forcing him to choose between the safety of his fantasy life in Marwencol and the real world that he's avoided since the attack.