Review of Welcome to Marwen (2018) by Steve S — 29 Dec 2018

I went to Marwen without learning anything at all about Mark Hogancamp's true story, but I don't think knowing it would have helped me enjoy this. The CGI adventures of the residents of Marwen were a little too heavy without really helping us understand what Mark was really dealing with.

I would have liked to see more to help me empathize with Mark, his recovery after the beating both physically and emotionally right up to the moment he had to face his attackers once more. Marwen ultimately prevented me from getting the real story and the introductions to the human counterparts of the women of Marwen were too brief.

Human GI Julie was there just long enough to drop a few lines Mark could call back later, and to explain why she had a silver leg. I wanted to know more about her, a disabled veteran dedicating her life to helping others.

.. I wanted her story too. In the end I guess I was looking for a human story with human interactions, but I ended up with the fantasy world Mark escaped to. I would like to see this cut only to Marks real world, there's a story there without the gimmicks.