What do you get when you cross Forrest Gump and Fantastic Mr. Fox? I think the answer is Welcome to Marwen, the based-on-a-true-story biopic coming to cinemas in January. The trailer dropped Wednesday — consider it a teeny reminder that Oscar season is always almost upon us. (It's never too early to start discussing potential nominations!)
Welcome to Marwen has a lot of Oscar-ish tricks up its sleeve. Robert Zemeckis directed it, for starters. It follows the life of Mark Hogancamp, a photographer who developed amnesia after being brutally attacked in 2000. Hogancamp created a small world called Marwencol populated entirely by dolls he'd made himself. Then, he photographed the dolls. All of this was documented in the documentary Marwencol. In the new, fictionalised version, Steve Carell plays Hogancamp. Alongside him, there's a slew of impressive actresses: Merritt Wever, Janelle Monáe, Leslie Mann, and Gwendolyn Christie all star alongside Carell as Hogancamp's friends who later become dolls in Marwencol. Because this is a movie, the film takes place partly in Marwencol, where the dolls serve in the actors' stead. It's just weird enough to get the attention of critics, and just hygge enough to earn the affection of the Academy. Folks, below, watch the trailer for the [chef's kiss] of Oscar bait.
Welcome to Marwen arrives in UK cinemas on 11th January 2019.