Welcome to Marwen (2018)

Welcome to Marwen is based upon the true story of Mark Hogancamp, portrayed by Steve Carell, a successful illustrator who was nearly beaten to death at a bar by a group of men one night and left deeply traumatized with severe memory loss as well as being unable to draw afterwards. He becomes a depressed alcoholic and a virtual recluse, suffering from crippling guilt and issues of self-worth, withdrawing into heroic WW2 fantasies often to cope with the stresses of his broken life, using highly-detailed dolls, elaborate dollhouses and photography to play out his innermost fears and desires. The magic of Marwen is in the incredible CGI seamlessly bringing to life this make-believe world of Marwen, a fictional Belgian town ever under siege by Nazis but rescued by the efforts of the dolls that resemble Mark and others he knows, particularly women that he admires. Real life, however, awaits him...including chances at relationships and confronting his attackers during their court date for sentencing. Can Mark face his inner demons and begin to live in the real world again, or will he remain alone and afraid, allowing his assailants the possibility of a lighter sentence? The film switches back and forth between reality and fantasy so the viewer experiences Mark's perspective-his dolls and that world come to life and matter to him, even when it's at its most improbable! Will everyone like this movie? No-this is not for kids, a good part of the film is in CGI, however well-crafted, and there will be objections by some to the exaggerated WW2-themed violence and sexy attire the female dolls (and even a topless scene by one). The attack on the character of Mark can also be a bit much for some viewers. Still, this film shows the versatility of Steve Carell as an actor and what Robert Zemeckis as director can achieve with such story, and it's well worth a look.

I ❤️ Steve Carrell. But not enough to go see this stupid film.