The Trouble with Mr Doodle

The documentary covers the rise to fame of Sam Cox aka Mr Doodle, who is best known for his exploits in Doodling a Kent mansion inside and out which was internationally televised a few years ago.

The film takes you into the mind of Mr Doodle, how the character and his art evolved, his rise to fame in the art industry and making Sam one of the most successful young artists in the world.

The story takes a rather dark turn where being Mr Doodle completely consumes Sam, in a way that I can only compare to a supervillain from a Marvel movie, the sometimes haunting and tearful path even has a few funny moments, it's not a light watch and is as much about the psychology of Mr Doodle as it is the art. I'm not a regular documentary viewer but this one had me hooked.

I really did feel for Sam and his family and right the way through was fully invested ... I shed a tear or two... until it became clear that they weren't going to talk at all about what psychosis actually is, what caused it and how it was treated. For a time it looked like he may be schizophrenic and we can only assume that that was explored and found not to be the case but we are not informed really of any of the facts or clinical exploration that must have happened around the time he was deeply unwell. The problem is that "The Trouble..." is the whole premise of the film, so without it being fully explored, I'm sad to say that it feels like a promotional opportunity.

In a time where too many "content creators" have broken down, I really feel that the science, the causes and the risks should have been explored.

This is a touching story concerning the fragility of the human mind and the strength of a mother's love, of an unconventional boy and the troubled genius he became, and of the resilience of a family when circumstances begin to spiral out of control.

Fans of Mr Doodle will certainly enjoy the biographical elements of this film and the retrospective look at aspects of his work is interspersed with new sequences of cut-out animation and early footage of his attempts to commercialise his work. But this is more than just a bittersweet biographical film.

Poignantly told by his wife, family, and friends, this story touches on the world of art, commercial art, doodles, celebrity and the zeitgeist of the 2020's. But it is not necessary to care about those things, to be moved by this film. It is sufficient simply to be curious about the human condition, and what can happen when creativity turns to obsession.

We were lucky enough to see the film recently. Sam's story was beautifully told. Whilst it was so sad to see what he went through it was ultimately so wonderful to see the power of love and how the people around him carried him through to where he is now. We can see from the film that Sam is such a wonderfully talented artist but also a genuinely lovely and humble person. The film explores Sam and his character beautfully and the viewer gets an intimate insight to his life before and after his hospital stay. The film was beautifully shot and put together. Well done to the film makers. We found it captivating.

This beautifully composed documentary film takes you on the rollercoaster which is Sam's life. It perfectly enables you to glimpse at the creative genius, from humble beginnings to extraordinary heights and everything in between. The raw emotion from Sam and his family, makes this one of the most powerful films ever made documenting the instability of the mind and how to balance creativity. It's honesty throughout I know will help provoke conversations around mental health, as we positively celebrate Sam for his strength to overcome the challenges and courage to share his toughest moments. Thank you for making this, thank you for sharing it with us.