My husband and I loved this movie. I can hardly believe it’s getting mixed reviews and low numbers of viewers.

All the reviewers agree it’s beautifully acted, but many complain about the writing, which I thought was pitch perfect. The movie is centered around a former successful illustrator suffering from TBI due to a vicious beating that destroyed his memory of his past life as well as his ability to draw. Although he feels alone, there are people who care about him and try to protect and help him. He talks to them, and they to him, exactly as one would, as one must, in the face of that injury.

Although the studio is Dreamworks, Marwen reminds me of a European movie because most of the background and plot are inferred rather than explicit, a quality I always seek and rarely find in American movies, in which the characters love to announce the plot and explain the background verbally.  Just in case the audience isn’t too smart?

Most striking about the movie, especially since it’s based on a true story, is the incredible resilience of the victim, which I found emotionally affecting. He creates an entire world of dolls, each based on a real person, who rescue him when he is terrified, and he channels his artistic talent into photographing the scenes he sets up. That’s a tremendous support system; a psychologist could hardly do better. From a viewing standpoint, the staged scenes also provide humor and action to what could be a very sad and slow story.

The victim is in pain and he has painkillers, and we know where that leads, sadly. His addiction is personified in a way that lends unexpected insight into the nature of addiction. I can’t say much more without a spoiler.

While I highly recommend this movie, I should point out that many of the spectator reviewers who dislike this film are people with experience of TBI, either their own or that of loved ones, who advise us to watch a documentary, most commonly the specific documentary Every 21 Seconds. Perhaps I will watch that, but probably not. My wanna-watch documentary list is much longer than my wanna-watch feature film list. I think a lot of people don’t watch documentaries, so maybe Marwen can reach those people, or even lead them (us?) to investigate more.