After a vicious attacks leaves him brain-damaged and broke, Mark Hogancamp seeks recovery in "Marwencol", a 1/6th scale World War II-era town he creates in his backyard.

Director:

16 wins & 10 nominations. See more awards »

Videos

Photos

Learn more

People who liked this also liked... 

Documentary
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7/10 X  

The Parking Lot Movie is a documentary about a singular parking lot in Charlottesville, Virginia. The film follows a select group of parking lot attendants and their strange rite of passage... See full summary »

Director: Meghan Eckman
Stars: Patrick Baran, John Beers, Chris Farina
Documentary
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.1/10 X  

Thirty years, three generations, and a lifetime later, award-winning filmmaker Ralph Arlyck returns to San Francisco in search of Sean, the boy who was the subject of his controversy-sparking 1969 documentary.

Director: Ralph Arlyck
Stars: Ralph Arlyck, Sean Farrell
Murderball (2005)
Documentary | Sport
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.8/10 X  

Paraplegics, who play full-contact rugby in wheelchairs, overcome unimaginable obstacles to compete in the Paralympic Games in Athens, Greece.

Directors: Henry Alex Rubin, Dana Adam Shapiro
Stars: Joe Soares, Keith Cavill, Mark Zupan
Winnebago Man (2009)
Documentary | Biography | Comedy
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.2/10 X  

Jack Rebney is the most famous man you've never heard of - after cursing his way through a Winnebago sales video, Rebney's outrageously funny outtakes became an underground sensation and ... See full summary »

Director: Ben Steinbauer
Stars: Jack Rebney, Ben Steinbauer, Keith Gordon
Documentary | Drama | History
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.3/10 X  

A film about an unfinished film which portrays the people behind and before the camera in the Warsaw Ghetto, exposing the extent of the cinematic manipulation forever changing the way we look at historic images.

Director: Yael Hersonski
Stars: Alexander Beyer, Rüdiger Vogler, Hanna Avrutzki
56 Up (TV Movie 2012)
Documentary
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.9/10 X  

Director Michael Apted revisits the same group of British-born adults after a 7 year wait. The subjects are interviewed as to the changes that have occurred in their lives during the last seven years.

Directors: Michael Apted, Paul Almond
Stars: Michael Apted, Bruce Balden, Jacqueline Bassett
Documentary
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.3/10 X  

A documentary on the oddball Greenwich Village eatery, Shopsin's.

Director: Matt Mahurin
Stars: Michael Fishman, John A. Papa, Eve Shopsin
Documentary | Biography
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.5/10 X  

A cinematic portrait of the life and career of the infamous American execution device designer and holocaust denier.

Director: Errol Morris
Stars: Fred A. Leuchter Jr., Robert Jan Van Pelt, David Irving
Dark Days (2000)
Documentary
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.8/10 X  

A cinematic portrait of the homeless population who live permanently in the underground tunnels of New York City.

Director: Marc Singer
Stars: Marc Singer
Documentary | Drama | History
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.9/10 X  

A history of the conflict of the City of Philadelphia and the Black Liberation organization, MOVE, that led to the disastrously violent final confrontation in 1985.

Director: Jason Osder
Stars: Birdie Africa, Ramona Africa, Wilson Goode
Drama

A victim of a brutal attack finds a unique and beautiful therapeutic outlet to help him through his recovery process.

Director: Robert Zemeckis
Stars: Steve Carell
Spettacolo (2017)
Documentary

Once upon a time there was a tiny hill town in Tuscany that found a remarkable way to confront their issues - they turned their lives into a play. "Spettacolo" is a portrait of this 50-... See full summary »

Directors: Jeff Malmberg, Chris Shellen
Stars: Andrea Cresti, Chiara Del Ciondolo, Alpo Mangiavacchi
Edit

Cast

Cast overview:
Mark Hogancamp ...
Himself
Emmanuel Nneji ...
Himself
Edda Hogancamp ...
Herself
Tom Neubauer ...
Himself
Julie Swarthout ...
Herself
Janet Wikane ...
Herself
Mark Wikane ...
Himself
Bert ...
Himself
Lisa Bruck ...
Herrself
Colleen Vargo ...
Herself
David Naugle ...
Himself
Ruthie Hotaling ...
Herself
Tod Lippy ...
Himself
Edit

Storyline

"Marwencol" is a documentary about the fantasy world of Mark Hogancamp. After being beaten into a brain-damaging coma by five men outside a bar, Mark builds 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 life-like 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 psychic wounds of the attack. 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. Written by Anonymous

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

coma | one word title | See All (2) »

Taglines:

When his world was stolen, Mark Hogancamp made a world of his own.


Edit

Details

Official Sites:

|

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

8 October 2010 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Village of the Dolls  »

Filming Locations:

 »

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$722 (USA) (29 October 2010)

Gross:

$112,036 (USA) (20 May 2011)
 »

Company Credits

Production Co:

 »
Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Color:

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
See  »
Edit

Did You Know?

Trivia

For the film's premiere Mark prepared a story line including the delivery by courier of a 1/6th scale press kit to the village of Marwencol. See more »

Quotes

Mark Hogancamp: I was like an elephant left in charge of the peanuts.
See more »

Connections

Featured in Ebert Presents: At the Movies: Episode #1.12 (2011) See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

 
I Want to Send Mark my Barbies!
25 March 2010 | by (Cleveland, Ohio) – See all my reviews

As I've mentioned, when the Cleveland International Film Festival catalog comes out. I read all the summaries and mark the movies I want to see. Marwencol jumped out at me for a few reasons. I had a boyfriend in college who lived near Kingston, NY, where this takes place. It's about a man who recovers from a head injury by building a world of miniatures in his backyard, it becomes therapy. My husband and son are into gaming and miniatures. I thought it sounded very interesting.

Turns out the miniatures are more like dolls. And, the therapy was much more like fantasy and art. Mark Hogancamp was attacked in the parking lot of a bar by five guys he'd been drinking with. Head injuries forced him to learn to speak, write, walk and completely function, all over again. Before the accident, he was married, an alcoholic and a gifted artist. After the accident, he was a completely different person, because he had no memory of his previous life. Working with his figures, he's able to practice small motor function, develop his rich imagination and role play some of his anger and aggression. Because he couldn't draw anymore, he captured scenes on film, with his camera. Now, friends and admirers of his work are urging him to share his town, Marwencol, with the world, with a gallery showing, a book and this film. Mark Hogancamp is a sympathetic and interesting guy. Marwencol is definitely an interesting place. Just when you think, "Okay, I get it, but this is weird," it gets weirder! But then, the pieces start to fit together. Fascinating story, well told, amazing imagery. It's an unforgettable place. Marwencol gets a 10 out of 10.


24 of 27 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you?

Message Boards

Recent Posts
Outstanding! LadyJewell
How did the bar fight start? ssslawman
This American Life? fencod28
I love this ending! c_glauner
Music tristan_taylor84
does anybody know mark before the attack?? joeyboots3000
Discuss Marwencol (2010) on the IMDb message boards »

Contribute to This Page

Create a character page for:
?