Marwencol

Saw Marwencol, a documentary about outsider artist Mark Hogancamp who was beaten by five men so severely that his face resembled a newborn child's. This beating caused a coma, amnesia, and brain damage. Like a newborn, he was dumped into a new life. He had to learn to walk, talk, read, and write all over again. Because he had the misfortune to be both American and poor, he had little physical or mental therapy to help him recover and had to make do with his mother and friends. So, in order to deal with his trauma, he created an amature form of therapy where he creates and photographs super-realistic dioramas of Marwencol, a fictional peaceful town in Belgium in the midst of WW2. In Marwencol there is a G.I. Joe doll representing him and various other people in his life, along with a bunch of Barbies representing his female friends. He uses these dolls to play out elaborate storylines.

Mark's town of Marwencol is a decidedly adult but very friendly place. The storylines have a sitcom-ish feel. A bar seems to be a Cheers stand-in, but there's also a magical witch with a time machine and most of the women are in love with Mark's character (natch.) It has a very playful, amateurish feel. Then again however, there are also SS officers perpetually hunting for the village who sometimes beat his alter-ego doll senseless, re-playing the attack that put him in a coma. Other times they murder the women, or angrily demand alcohol. We know that before the attack Mark had been an alcoholic, so the SS officers are playing out not only his attackers but also Mark himself. It's fascinating.

The documentary follows Mark in his life, giving us little insights like this and drawing connections that Mark never explains but never really makes any effort to hide either. Mark opens himself up completely to the camera and talks happily about anything the director wants. He seems like a completely sweet, genuine guy who is earnestly trying to cure himself. This is a kindly sort of film that feels non-exploitative, that interviews a man with frank mental problems but does not leer or skewer. It just lets us get to know Mark and his work.