Documentary about Mark Hogancamp's fantasy city of Marwencol.
Years ago, Mark got jumped by five men outside of a bar and was beaten into a coma. The attack left him permanently changed and most of his own past was erased from his mind.
To cope, Mark has created a place called Marwencol and fills it with dolls that represent both people he knows in real life, and people he wishes he knew. Within Marwencol, Mark can play out his avatar's life how he chooses, and he can avoid the real world.
He also takes amazing photographs of his town that are about as realistic looking as a photo can get featuring dolls. These photos are what eventually led to Mark's story being told.
Mark's story is quite fascinating. He doesn't hide from the mistakes he made in his previous life, but he does hide from life. He is very much at peace, yet conceals a violent rage at his attackers that is played out in Marwencol. All of the people in his life are so supportive and care for him, yet they're also a bit uneasy. I'm not sure if this is because they're not sure how to deal with him or if they're worried that one day he'll erupt.
The filmmakers found a perfect subject for a documentary, and overall they did a great job, but there are a few problem here and there. For example: I don't think they did enough on the town itself. Throughout the film I kept wondering what he did in various weather conditions. Other things different about Mark's life thanks to the attack are only hinted at, and a follow up at the end would've been great.
Still, those are minor details, and actually reflect just how interesting Mark's story is because the audience wants more details than could possibly be provided in 90 minutes.
I'm not going to give this a rating as it's a documentary, but if what I've written so far sounds interesting, give it a look.
There is a very interesting "twist" at the end of the film that really caught me off guard regarding Mark's avatar. It is so logical and brilliant, yet also so sad.