LAist Interview: Marwencol Director Jeff Malmberg
In this photo by Mark Hogancamp, Captain Hogancamp marries Anna in front of the hanging SS who had ravaged Marwencol.
Marwencol, the new documentary from Jeff Malmberg has already garnered multiple awards and much praise for its intimate portrayal of artist Mark Hogancamp. The film takes its title from a 1/6th scale World War II-era town that Hogancamp built after he was brutally beaten into a brain-damaging coma by five men. Still effected by his attack years later, Hogancamp has created an entire world with startling attention to detail -- from the uniforms that are worn on the dolls that populate the town, to the relationships between the characters. Sometimes simple, sometimes bizarrely complex, the ongoing narratives that Hogancamp fabricates in the Marwencol universe are captured by his striking still photography.
It’s no wonder this intricate portrait took four years to bring to screen. Malmberg deftly peels away layer after layer of Hogancamp’s past, along with his daily struggle to recover physically and mentally through this fantasy world. The sensitive depiction is enthralling and poignant from beginning to end.
Marwencol screens tomorrow, Friday the 18th and June 24th as part of the Los Angeles Film Festival. Cinema Guild also plans to release the documentary in the fall. LAist spoke with the director about his storytelling process for the enigmatic and undeniably gifted Hogancamp.
Hogancamp setting up a scene in Marwencol. (Photo by Tom Putnam)
LAist: What drew you to Mark’s story?
JM: I work primarily as an editor, but I reached a point about four years ago where I wanted to challenge myself a little and use a different set of skills. So I decided to start looking for a short doc subject I could shoot myself.
About the same time, issue # 5 of Esopus showed up in my mailbox. I was immediately drawn to Mark’s photos and especially his captions, which hinted at something deeper and more interesting to me than your average photographer.
For example: “Sometimes the GIs just want to get out of town and go to the store, two miles away.” There’s a story there, and that drew me to Mark.
LAist: Going into this, what kind of film did you think you would end up with?
JM: A short film. But within a day or two of filming Mark, I realized there was a larger story there, more worthy of a feature. So I just kept flying out and filming to try to figure out what was happening
LAist: What was your first meeting with Mark was like?
JM: When I drove up I remember he was playing with a remote controlled car in his lot. I think it was his attempt to find some common ground with me. I was the same way - I'd stopped to get him donuts and coffee. I had so many questions for him and he had a lot he wanted to tell me.
I always think of that first weekend as Mark waking up from a dream. He hadn't verbalized a lot of what had happened to him and so it all came pouring out in a really beautiful way - the way you verbalize your dreams after you wake up. At least that's how it felt to me. That was the beginning of our relationship. We laugh about it now - we didn't know each other at all back then. But I think we got along right from the beginning - and respected and trusted each other. We're a lot alike in many ways and that helped I think.
Director Jeff Malmberg (right) documents Mark Hogancamp at his White Columns art show in New York City. (Photo by Tom Putnam)
LAist: Did Mark ever give you any rules?
JM: Not really…Maybe some small ones like, “Try not to knock over the dolls” (which I did all the time). But as a subject, he was completely open and never told me what I could or couldn’t include. So I tried to earn that trust by being responsible with what he gave me. He's got a very artistic sense and I think he knew I was going for something and didn't want to burden me with rules about it - a very giving thing.
LAist: When did you decide that you had shot enough?
JM: Most of the footage in the film was actually shot very early in the four-year process. But it wasn’t until about 2008 that I was able to see what it all meant. Some of it took a while for me to wrap my head around. My wife and I had to put together a synopsis of the film for a grant proposal. And it was really then that the story became clear. After that point, everything more or less fell into place.
LAist: How did you know that you’d found your ending?
JM: We played around with a few different endings, but nothing felt perfect. And then one day in 2009, Mark sent me some new photos from Marwencol and we were like, “That’s it - that’s the ending.”
LAist: Has Mark seen the film?
JM: I showed the film to Mark before our SXSW premiere to make sure he felt comfortable with it. It was great - he responded really well, and Mark told his mom, “Jeff told my story the way I would have if I knew how.” That meant a lot. You spend four years working on something and it really is a case of an audience of one in your mind - "This is for Mark". So him liking what I'd done and the portrait of him that I'd made was huge to me.
I actually have a video of Mark’s reaction on a hidden page on the site.
Hogancamp putting wear on the jeep's tires. (Photo by Chris Shellen)
LAist: You are obviously very protective of Mark, what were your concerns with how he would be portrayed and your responsibility to show him in the right way?
JM: I think there’s a tendency when we meet someone “different” to keep our distance and judge them. Like “Oh, look at the tragic guy who plays with dolls...”Isn’t that strange or sad or funny? But that’s not how I know Mark, and it’s not how I wanted to portray him.
Mark is such an extraordinary person, and he’s taught me so much. I wanted to replicate that process for audiences so they might come in thinking one thing and maybe leave having learned something about themselves.
I think I do feel very protective of Mark - all of his close friends seem to have the same instinct, because there’s a sort of magical, vulnerable quality about him. But I didn’t shy away from the dark stuff. I just tried to position it in such a way that audiences wouldn't judge it or point fingers.
LAist: What would you like audiences to come away with?
JM: At a micro level, I’d like audiences to come away with an appreciation for Mark and his art. On a wider level, I hope that the film reminds people to be kind and more receptive to people who might seem different or odd at first.
A lot of people ask if the town is growing or changing, and the answer is yes - every day. Mark shoots almost every day and adds new buildings and characters all the time. And sometimes it goes in really supernatural and strange directions.
We’ll be continuing to post new stories and photos at www.marwencol.com even after the movie comes out.
Even though it began almost a decade ago, Marwencol feels really timely now, given the recession and interest in “escaping.” Our tagline is “If you aren’t accepted in the real world, create your own.” and we totally encourage people to use Marwencol as an escape from the everyday real world.