Director Jeff Malmberg on Marwencol’s 1/6-Scale Universe

A detailed winter tableau from Marwencol.

Jeff Malmberg has me dead to rights.

“I saw you walking around outside,” he tells me as our interview begins, “and before you even came near the hotel, I figured you were a movie guy.” He relates this observation not with any condescension or derision, but with a sense of genial fraternity. Malmberg, you see, is a movie guy himself–and an observant one, at that.

His feature directorial debut Marwencol just may stand as the best documentary to screen at SIFF in 2010; this during a festival already packed stem-to-stern with great docs. Shot in a low-key verite style on hi-def video, it follows Mark Hogancamp, whose near-fatal beating at the hands of a gang of thugs leaves him without any memory.

To combat his demons and rehabilitate physically Mark builds Marwencol, a fictional town in World-War-II Belgium, entirely out of 1/6-scale action figures and Barbies. So, yeah, it’s about a guy playing with dolls in his backyard. Except that it’s not. It’s much more about human creativity flowering through adversity–and about fleshing out its troubled but inarguably lovable subject–than it is about gawkery.

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Marwencol also celebrates Hogancamp’s art; an incredibly detailed and beautifully-rendered world full of two-fisted heroes, buxom catfighting women, time travel, and Nazi skullduggery (you can see samples here, and even order a Marwencol storybook here). It’s entirely telling that Malmberg spends nearly our entire interview talking about his subject, not about himself: And after seeing Marwencol, you can’t blame him.

Marwencol director Jeff Malmberg.

This is such an amazing story, and you–very consciously, I’m sure–keep yourself out of it, and let Mark tell his story. How did you discover him?

I was looking for something to shoot. Editorial, documentary-wise, was just so much fun. It’s almost like writing, it’s like really trying to find the truth; and not forcing your opinion on it…but I thought, “Now, if I could just find a subject that I could go and shoot, then I could come back and cut it, and be in charge.” As fun as it is to work with a director (and I very much love working with directors), you also, as an editor, kind of go, “Well, I don’t agree,” you know? [laughs] Especially where there’s a subject that’s rich enough that you can head different ways.

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I remember consciously thinking, “I want to find something really deep that’ll be the hardest thing I’ve ever cut, and that has so many layers and factions to it, I’ll get really confused, and [it'll be] a super-editing exercise. And it was totally that “Be careful what you wish for” thing, because about a week later I’d subscribed to Esopus magazine, which you see in the film. I saw those photos [of Marwencol], and I thought, “Well, here’s a short film. This is amazing!” And then I contacted Mark.

I think he was at that point in his life where he really wanted to talk through what had happened, and we just kind of met on that level; me looking for something deep to get into, and him looking to talk to somebody about it. So it was just sort of magical…

It’s very interesting, because it almost feels like you were there from the very beginning. How far into his recovery was he when you began the movie?

About six years, and a lot of my time was spent trying to talk to those people who were there, like Tom Neubauer, who lives near Seattle. [He] was there for the Q&A. He took care of Mark for a couple of years after the attack; kind of taught him a lot of new stuff–new to him, part of what Mark calls his Second Life.

One thing that Mark did early on was give me all of his diaries, because for him, his diaries really helped him. He was always, everyday, writing in diaries during what he calls his Previous Life. That really helped fill in a lot of the story for me. And also for him, because since he couldn’t remember [his past], he relied on them.

I was really struck by what a strong artist he was before the attack: The sketches in his diaries are really impressive. Was that something he addressed with you?

Yeah, that was one of his primary frustrations in his Second Life, was that his hands shook too badly to draw. And he’ll draw now occasionally, but it’s just not as tight–that’s how he refers to it. One of the producers who shot some of the film with me–Kevin Walsh–he’s a big illustration guy. And I asked him how much of a difference is there between [Mark's] old drawings and his new ones, and Ken said, “There’s a lot.”

There seemed to be two things he drew in his illustrations before–either beautiful women or World War II stuff. And it’s just interesting that there was sort of always this World War II story floating through his head. I remember at the hobby shop that you see briefly; one thing that Mark would do for money when he was an alcoholic before the attack, was he would make these 1/32-scale models–very intricate models–and sell them there. They were just breathtaking. I’d heard so much about them, but when I saw them I really understood why people were freaking out; because they were just perfect. Again, World War II, with mileage signs; the same thing that was going on in Marwencol.

I feel like he must’ve always been that guy who had to express himself. You always think of that guy in high school who was always drawing on his book covers in the back of class. To me, that must’ve been Mark. He was someone who just had to get it out.

This is a really unusual story, and it seems to me that it would’ve been very easy to descend into gawkery and condescension. One of the laudable things about the movie is that it does not do that.

For every doc, the form should fit its subject. And here’s somebody who, right off the bat, the more I got to know him and even still today when I talk to him, is such a good, kind spirit. There’s so much going on there that you don’t initially see. I really wanted to shape my experience of getting to know him in the footage that I captured. So, what you learn along the way and how things are constantly changing–every ten minutes it sort of shifts up a little in terms of what it all means–that was very much a conscious decision. Not to necessarily use that narrative construct just because it was a good construct, but because that was my experience of getting to know Mark. So in editorial [decisions], the golden rule was always, go back to what it was like for you.

The only time I ever gawked at him was right off the top, when it’s like, “Oh, here’s a guy who plays with dolls in his backyard.” Not that I found that to be bad, but you know, I wanted to kind of recreate that experience of understanding there was something deeper. I feel that’s a really big, powerful thing in documentary filmmaking that you can do, is take a situation where it’s like, “Oh, let’s meet the guy who plays with dolls in his backyard and builds a World War II town…”

But that’s just the first room. The idea being that–in life–there’s something so much richer, that that’s really just the waiting room to the real story. None of these things were really conscious, but as you met Mark you started to realize, think backwards and go, “Oh, my God, this is that example of that form of documentary,” which is, let’s look closer; let’s realize that there’s beauty everywhere; let’s understand that everybody has things that they’re dealing with, and that it’s our job to meet them on a human level, and learn that those people that we might call freakish or whatever are actually way stronger than we could ever be.

It all just kind of evolved. It was kind of crazy. We became friends before I even really knew I was doing a feature. I thought I was doing a short, which I think really helped, when I look back on it. It wasn’t as if I was thinking, “I’m going to do a feature about this guy; I’d better befriend him!” It would’ve just been false. We both thought it was one weekend when we first met. I think, within an hour of meeting him, I thought there was something good going on here. But I didn’t declare it. I think we were past the art show and I didn’t know I was doing a feature; I thought I was doing a short, still. The friendship and the understanding was there. He could tell I was very curious, and I think that’s why he let me in. He could tell that I wanted to learn about it; that it was pure.

A lot of times, I wouldn’t shoot. I would just talk to him. I’m not really that good at shooting [laughs]; I didn’t have a light; I used my knee as a tripod. It was very ramshackle, but in a way I think that’s also very intimate, and for an audience, I think they’re willing to accept that roughness a little more…

That intimate feel to Marwencol, I think, is you making a virtue out of necessity.

Yeah, yeah! Thank you, I agree. It’s weird; particularly in doc, if you decide ahead of time what you’re doing, that’s maybe when you falter–moreso than in narrative filmmaking. It seems like in narrative you’re thunderstruck by some idea, I don’t know. This is kind of that nice process where I don’t know, and the power of saying, “I don’t know,” and wanting to learn, and having real life kind of fill in that hole. I was lucky enough to find a subject that is worth the time to figure out.

A lot of the peripheral characters in Mark’s life appeared quite cooperative with you…

Yeah, they were all great. I think that Mark really attracts people who want to help him. He’s a really kind soul, so I think everybody has their ‘Mark stories.’ I was really struck in meeting them, how fundamentally kind they all were. I really enjoyed realizing that these were all really good people; and that without any of them, Mark wouldn’t be where he is. Tom took care of Mark, taught him how to walk. To some degree, he was telling Mark the rules of life. It was really a strange process, but he was doing it out of pure kindness. It’s nice when you get to celebrate people being good. What about that person at the art show…. I don’t want to reveal too much in case someone who hasn’t seen it is reading…but every time I see that scene, I’m like, “See? It matters what you do in your day!”

That’s an incredibly touching scene.

Yeah, and when you’re shooting it, you don’t know what the hell is going on. You’re not like, “Here’s a touching scene!” You’re going with your feelings. Every time I see that scene, my wife and I are like, “Aww…bless you for doing that. You really made a difference in his life!” And they met for five minutes. And in the same way, to some degree, here’s the story of five people [Mark's attackers]…look what happens on the other side of it when you put evil into the world. I always felt like, to some degree, I was making it for them, too. The half-life of that [assault] is really long, and Mark’s really working hard to get rid of that; those feelings, and what happened to him.

Without addressing the movie’s twist explicitly, it’s a profound revelation that appears quite far into the movie. How far along were you in filming when you actually discovered it?

Not that far. [For] what it meant, though, really far. One of the last things I got was that audio that made me and Mark confirm…one of the reasons he was beat up. So when he first let me into that…it was pretty early on. What it all meant, I really didn’t have a clue. He seemed really torn up about how he wanted to present himself the second time around. The art show was very much that for him. You see it in the film. He’s very concerned about how he should present himself. That seemed important to me, but did I know why at the time? Of course not, and I think you’d be lying if you said you did. It’s not like you’re some mastermind. You’re just trying to keep your eyes and ears open to try and connect with someone.

Has the positive critical reception to Marwencol been a surprise to you?

Yeah, a real surprise, absolutely. Truly, I thought I was making this for Mark. I mean, did I want to shape it back into the form of a film that other people can enjoy? Of course. But the number one thing–the only thing, really–was that Mark was going to see it. And that it was going to be this portrait of somebody that I liked, and that he would see it, and go, “Oh, yeah!”

We’ve got theatrical from Cinema Guild in October, and the fact that my little art project is going to play in movie theaters is really cool. The nice thing about all that is that it’s just icing on the cake. Truly. I wasn’t trying to do that. I thought that maybe it’d get into one film festival, and that means my wife’ll let me make another one [laughs].

What it really means on a documentary level is: I’m the frame. Mark’s the picture. You’re trying to present something in a way that maybe he wouldn’t have the distance to do. When there’s an audience reaction like that, it’s really a function of people reacting to Mark, and the beauty of Mark, and that is entirely rewarding. I think it’s really them taking Mark into their hearts. One thing that Mark told me right off the bat is, “No one understands why I do this. No one gets this.” So I remember writing on a little note card, ‘No one understands’. And so now it feels like, maybe, some people do.

People connect with Mark on a very deep level. Anyone who feels like they’ve ever struggled with or stifled their creative expression for any reason is going to relate to him.

Exactly! I agree, and I think that’s why it doesn’t matter what ‘the twist’ is. I want to save that so that people can experience it, but it doesn’t matter. And I’ve had people come up to me afterwards who’ve forgotten what the actual details of the twist were. And it’s a totally valid viewpoint six months after having seen the film, because all that matters is that it is a struggle. It’s whatever that struggle is, how you present yourself, how you want to be seen, how you’re trying to get past your issues. It doesn’t matter what the details are.

I found Mark’s whole unrequited crush on Colleen to be very moving. What was she like, and did any of the awkwardness of Mark’s crush on her ever seep in to her interactions with her husband, or her interaction with Mark?

Yeah, you see it a little in the film. She was the one character that I found to be the most gray, and I really could’ve gone further in terms of their relationship. I always asked everyone else about the relationship between Colleen and Mark, and everyone had different points of view. I really wanted to leave it where I leave it with the film, which is, she says her husband warned her to be careful. I think that, in a lot of ways Colleen was very helpful. I like that [their relationship is] a little gray. That’s interesting to me.

There’s a very strong, almost Errol Morris sensibility to the movie. Something about his documentarian style seems like it might’ve had an influence on you.

Yeah, and in my travels as an editor I’ve actually worked with him on commercials and trailers and stuff. I’ve been able to talk to him a few times. Any good doc, I think, takes someone where they don’t expect to go, and then kind of questions why they expect to go there in the first place.

It’s that same kind of experience on a filmmaking level, too. I thought I was meeting one person that I knew the story of, and then it turned out it was all these other things. I mean, what about this pre-judgment that I had prevented me from initially seeing all these beautiful things? And I think with an audience, too…. They think they’re going to see a movie about a guy who plays with dolls in his backyard, and they have whatever judgments they have about that; but that there’s something so much deeper and richer there. I always feel like that’s a good documentary lesson. The good subjects always prove that out.

I think Errol Morris does that; maybe taking something that you might dismiss, and then turning it inside-out and going, “This person’s way stronger than you will ever be, so be careful what you do.” Those are the docs that I really gravitate to, like Marjoe…That was one of the movies I watched before I started cutting [Marwencol], because I felt like it was [the story of] somebody at the crossroads of “what am I going to do?” And that’s such an interesting place to be as a character. Thank you for the compliment.