- Marwencol
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Marwencol 
Directed by Jeff Malmberg Produced by Jeff Malmberg
Tom Putnam
Matt Radecki
Chris Shellen
Kevin W. WalshStarring Mark Hogancamp Music by Ash Black Bufflo[1] Editing by Jeff Malmberg Studio Open Face
Different by DesignDistributed by The Cinema Guild (US)
KinoSmith (Canada)
PBS (US television)
Channel 4 (UK TV)
SVT (Swedish TV)
Manson Media (China TV)
Bonsai Films (Australia)
Fonk Vzw (Belgium)Release date(s) March 12, 2010 (SXSW)
October 8, 2010Running time 83 minutes Country United States Language English Marwencol is a 2010 independent documentary film that explores the life and work of photographer Mark Hogancamp. It is the debut feature of director-editor Jeff Malmberg.
Contents
Plot
On April 8, 2000, Mark Hogancamp was attacked outside of a bar by five men who nearly beat him to death for being a crossdresser. After nine days in a coma and forty days in the hospital, Mark was discharged with brain damage that left him little memory of his previous life.
Unable to afford therapy, Mark creates his own by building a 1/6-scale World War II-era town in his yard and populating it with dolls representing himself, his friends, and even his attackers. He rehabilitates his physical wounds by manipulating the small dolls and props — and his mental ones by having the figures act out various battles and stories.
When Mark begins documenting his miniature dramas with his camera, his photos are discovered and published by Esopus magazine[2] and even shown in a New York art gallery. But having the label of "art" applied to his intensely personal work forces Mark to make a choice between the safety of his fictional town and the real world he's avoided since his attack.[3]
Production
The film was shot in New York State in the United States between 2006 and 2010, using a combination of DVCAM video and Super-8 film formats.[4]
Reception
The film received widespread critical acclaim, holding a 98% approval rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes as of June 2011.[5]
Jeannette Catsoulis of The New York Times wrote "Marwencol emerges as a number of things: an absorbing portrait of an outsider artist; a fascinating journey from near-death to active life; a meditation on the brain’s ability to forge new pathways when old ones have been destroyed."[6]
Entertainment Weekly's Lisa Schwarzbaum awarded it an A-, saying "I can barely describe the wonders of Marwencol. ... This tender documentary considers the mysteries of both art and coping."[7]
Ann Hornaday of The Washington Post'' called it "a fine, delicately nuanced portrait of an artist compelled by mysterious forces to create something utterly unique."[8]
According to Sheri Linden of The Hollywood Reporter, the film is "unpredictable and absorbing."[9]
Walter Addiego of The San Francisco Chronicle wrote "If you have even a passing interest in outsider art, you owe it to yourself to see Marwencol."[10]
Kevin Thomas (The Los Angeles Times) called the film "a celebration of the transformative power of art in coping with so many of the challenges people face."[11]
V.A. Musetto of The New York Post added "First-time director Jeff Malmberg tells Hogancamp's fascinating story with sensitivity, never resorting to exploitation."[12]
From Steven Rea of The Philadelphia Inquirer, Marwencol "is also, on a deeper level, about how we process our experiences - good and bad, violent and mysterious - and how we try to build safe places in our lives."[13]
Dana Stevens of Slate chose it as one of her Top 10 films of 2010, calling it a "quietly radiant debut documentary about art, imagination, addiction, and survival" and saying "Hogancamp's Marwencol, and Malmberg's Marwencol, have to be seen to be believed."[14]
The film was also in the top ten lists of the Boston Globe,[15] The Globe and Mail,[16] and David Edelstein.[17][18]
Awards and accolades
- Film Independent Spirit Awards
- Jameson FIND Your Audience Award[19]
- AVEENO Truer Than Fiction Award[19]
- Best Documentary (nominated)[20]
- Boston Society of Film Critics
- Comic-Con International Independent Film Festival
- Best Documentary — Fantasia Festival (Montreal)[25]
- Best Documentary — Whistler Film Festival (British Columbia)[26]
- Best Documentary (2010 Golden Tomato) — Rotten Tomatoes[27]
- Best Documentary Feature — Woodstock Film Festival[28]
- Grand Jury Award for Best Documentary Film — South by Southwest[29]
- Grand Jury Award for Best Documentary Film — Cleveland International Film Festival[30]
- Grand Jury Award for best Documentary Film — Seattle International Film Festival[31]
- Special Jury Award for Best Documentary Film — Independent Film Festival of Boston[32]
- HBO Emerging Artist Award — Hot Docs (Toronto)[33]
- Outstanding Achievement in a Debut Feature Film — 2011 Cinema Eye Honors[34]
- IDA/Jacqueline Donnet Emerging Documentary Filmmaker Award — International Documentary Association[35]
- Cinematic Vision Award — Silverdocs (Maryland)[36]
- STANDARD Readers' Jury Award — Viennale (Vienna International Film Festival)[37]
- Best Documentary — Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film (Boston)[38]
- Best International Documentary — Docville (Belgium)[39]
References
- ^ Peter Debruge (March 30, 2010). "Marwencol (Documentary)". Variety. http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117942506?refcatid=2850. Retrieved 2011-05-13. "... music, Ash Black Bufflo..."
- ^ [1] Esopus 5 (Fall 2005)
- ^ [2] Marwencol official website
- ^ [3]"2010 Jacqueline Donnet Emerging Documentary Filmmaker Award--Cutting a Path of Understanding: Jeff Malmberg" documentary.org
- ^ [4]"Top Movies: Best of Rotten Tomatoes" rottentomatoes.com
- ^ [5] "Model Town as Safe Haven" The New York Times (October 8, 2010)
- ^ [6]"Marwencol" Entertainment Weekly (October 14, 2010) ew.com
- ^ [7] "Marwencol: Critics's Pick" The Washington Post (December 10, 2010) washingtonpost.com
- ^ [8]"Marwencol -- Film Review" The Hollywood Reporter (October 15, 2010) hollywoodreporter.com
- ^ [9] "Marwencol" The San Francisco Chronicle (December 3, 2010) sfgate.com
- ^ [10]"Movie Review: Marwencol" The Los Angeles Times latimes.com
- ^ [11]"Beating victim builds a new life" The New York Post (October 7, 2010) nypost.com
- ^ [12]"Marwencol: Documentary about a beating victim who builds a toy village to rebuild psyche" The Philadelphia Inquirer (November 19, 2010) philly.com
- ^ [13] "Wow: My Top Ten Movies of 2010" slate.com
- ^ [14]"In this pivotal year, documentaries had the most movie mystery" boston.com
- ^ [15]"Rick Groen and Liam Lacey's Best Films of 2010" theglobeandmail.com
- ^ [16]"The Year in Movies" nymag.com
- ^ [17] "Flicks, Picked: Best and Worst Films of 2010" npr.org
- ^ a b [18]"2011 FILM INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARD FILMMAKER GRANT WINNERS ANNOUNCED" Film Independent
- ^ [19]"2011 FILM INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARD NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED" Film Independent
- ^ [20]"BSFC Award Winners"
- ^ [21]"BSFC Award Winners"
- ^ [22] "Congratulations to the 2010 CCI:IFF Winners"
- ^ [23] "Congratulations to the 2010 CCI:IFF Winners"
- ^ [24]"FANTASIA 2010 AUDIENCE AWARDS / PRIX DU PUBLIC announced!"
- ^ [25]"10WFF Final Awards press release"
- ^ [26] "12th Annual Golden Tomato Awards" RottenTomatoes.com
- ^ [27]"FILM FEST: Awards honor Keanu Reeves, Kingston-based documentary" DailyFreeman.com
- ^ [28] "SXSW announces award winners" Variety
- ^ [29] |"34th Cleveland International Film Festival Awards"
- ^ [30] "“Marwencol,” “The Reverse” Lead Seattle Film Fest Winners" IndieWIRE
- ^ [31] "IFFBoston 2010 Wrap-Up"
- ^ [32] "Attendance Surges at Hot Docs" Variety
- ^ [33]"EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP Takes Top Award at 2011 Cinema Eye Honors" Cinema Eye Honors
- ^ [34]"Banksy, “Waste Land” Among IDA Documentary Award Nominees" DailyFreeman.com
- ^ [35] "Silverdocs Juries Reward “Mommy” and “5 Elephants”" IndieWIRE
- ^ [36]"FILMPREISE BEI DER VIENNALE 2010" Viennale.at (German)
- ^ [37]"2011, 17th Annual Awards, March 20, 2011" Chlotrudis.org
- ^ [38]"NIEUWS!! WINNAARS DOCVILLE 2011 BEKEND!" docville.be
External links
Categories:- 2010 films
- American films
- English-language films
- Documentary films about mental health
- Documentary films about photographers
- Documentary films about people with disabilities
- American documentary films
- American independent films
- Directorial debut films
- Outsider art
- American crime victims
- Films shot in multiple formats
- Films shot in New York
- Films set in New York
- 2010s documentary films
- Film Independent Spirit Awards
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