Hundreds of Beavers – Film Review

Director – Mike Cheslik
Writers – Mike Cheslik, Ryland Brickson, Cole Tews
Stars – Ryland Brickson, Cole Tews, Olivia Graves, Doug Mancheski

Screening at the Lighthouse Cinema on July 9th at 8.15

Our main protagonist, Jean Kayak (Ryland Brickson Cole Tews), works as an applejack salesman and indulges a little too much in its alcoholic delights. Due to a beaver-related incident, Jean is left homeless in a frozen wasteland. He sets about trying to stay warm and feed his hungry belly by trapping the nearby animals. These include rabbits, badgers, skunks and also beavers! He soon meets The Merchant (Doug Mancheski) who trades in animal skins, along with his beautiful daughter, The Furrier (Olivia Graves). The only chance he has to marry the Furrier is to trap… hundreds of Beavers.

This is the first feature film by Mike Cheslik. The production uses a variety of animation techniques, along with people in animal suits to create this bizarre world with the feel of a cartoon come to life.

This film is a true oddity. You get sight gags and a witty visual style from start to finish. It’s almost entirely without dialogue and uses caption cards like silent movies when text is required to move the plot along. It owes a lot to the comedy films of Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, and The Three Stooges. The other main inspiration is the Roadrunner cartoons, as he tries to trap wildlife with elaborate contraptions which often go wrong! Considering the budget of $150,000, it’s an impressive achievement and a labour of love for those involved.