After its release, “Welcome to Marwen” did not do well with most of its reviewers even with its star-studded cast and director, and an inspiring plot.

“Welcome to Marwen” stars Steve Carell as Mark Hogancamp, a WWII illustrator who is a victim of a hate crime for being queer. He is brutally beaten by neo-Nazis outside of a café which causes Hogancamp to suffer from PTSD and amnesia. To help him cope both of these issues, Hogancamp takes photographs of dolls in a fictitious WWII-inspired world that he builds in his backyard. He creates a world where he can truly be himself.

Though this movie has a combination of an amazing director, cast, and plot, it did not do well once released. On Rotten Tomatoes, it was rated only 40 percent fresh. In the box office, after only two weeks within its release, the movie lost $50 dollars.

The movie is structured by constantly switching from the real world to the WWII-based world the dolls live in. This doll world is a parallel for the real world, except for the fact that the hero in the story is “Capt’n Hogie,” Hogancamp’s cool and confident doppelganger. It seems that the main reason people say “Welcome to Marwen” is not a good movie is because of the constant switch between animation and live action, but not the actual plot itself.

I have to admit that even though that switch throughout the movie did confuse me a little, viewers and critics cannot ignore all the things the movie did well.

For one, it brought up the topic of hate crimes committed against the LGBTQ+ community, and how that hate has a long-lasting effect. The topic of PTSD and how people with it feel on a daily basis is addressed.

In the movie, there are times when the doll world seeps into the real world and both worlds are combined. The Nazis in this WWII doll world are the men who had beaten Hogancamp in the war, while the dolls that are protecting everyone alongside “Capt’n Hogie” are women based on people Hogancamp knows in real life.

In the way the movie is told, audiences are introduced to Mark Hogancamp without knowing much about his past. It makes the audience feel like they get to know him as he and the other characters in the story get to know him.

“Welcome to Marwen” tells a great story about the life of an artist and his artwork. This movie does not displease, even if you may have heard otherwise.