HUNDREDS OF BEAVERS (2022)

Hundreds of Beavers (2022)
Directed by: Mike Cheslik
Written by: Mike Cheslik, Ryland Brickson Cole Tews
Starring: Doug Mancheski, Olivia Graves, Ryland Brickson Cole Tews, Wes Tank

Available on demand and Blu-ray 5th August 2024

In a frozen wilderness one man finds himself standing alone against the brutal forces of mother nature. Will he starve, or freeze, or be savaged by wolves? Will his survival skills be enough or will his resolve be broken by the overwhelming odds? Will he fall victim to a make-shift rope trap and fly through the air like Wile E. Coyote? Yes that’s right; this is a battle of wits not only against the cold winter of Wisconsin but also against all kinds of wacky slapstick predicaments. A simple story well told… but with mascot costumes, toilet humour, and an endless array of gags that defy the laws of physics. So strap yourself in for the ride as we discuss the events that take one drunken buffoon into battle against Hundreds of Beavers.

Not content with a physical comedy about someone trying to outwit the local wildlife the film-makers start things off with animation, music, and a myriad of creative effects. Booze making (and drinking) salesman Jean Kayak (Ryland Brickson Cole Tews) is living the good life using local apples to fuel a booming apple brandy business. There’s plenty of merry-making (and puking) before things inevitable go awry. When beaver-adjacent disaster strikes Jean finds himself without customers and shelter, and later without clothing, as the snow piles up. Here the survival yarn begins he must find a way to fish and hunt while avoiding sub-zero temperatures and a whole lot of pitfalls (sometimes literally).

The plot may be somewhere between The Revenant (or The Grey) and a classic Looney Tunes short but the style is occasionally reminiscent of Invention for Destruction. There’s a charming hand-made feel to many of the sequences which blend two-dimensional images and real snow under a grainy layer of black and white. It’s an aesthetic which lends it heaps of style and helps the micro-budget effects look pretty compelling. Jean’s slowly diminishing sanity conjures up images of food at every opportunity, but also images of skills he must learn along the way. Which means that all the animal costumes and hand-puppets feel right at home alongside the cartoon visual gags and hunting skits.

Of course despite some of the more violent gags and a focus on collecting animal furs this isn’t exactly what you’d call a gritty drama. The dangers of the wilderness are no joke as some of the darker moments prove, but it’s always done with a distinct sense of humour. There’s occasionally even blood along with the odd skeleton… and yet most of the animals seem to be filled with packing peanuts. Some of the biggest laughs are a result of the critters involved being human sized costumes; some far cheaper looking than others. It’s not all nonsensical mayhem, particularly when it becomes clear the story has a lot of heart (sometimes literally), but this is about the humour first and foremost.

Luckily the entire movie is focused on the repetition of silly moments like traps, injuries, sight-gags, and food chain images. It’s constantly building up the scale as each joke becomes the basis for another and the nonsense slowly escalates in an almost mechanical way. Inane scenes involving a snowman and a woodpecker become funnier as it progresses and the film starts to feel like a Rube Goldberg-esque marvel. Jean’s skills and his inventory also build towards some very satisfying moments as the same problems, locations, and secondary characters are revisited over and over again. Some of this may feel a little video-game like (Zelda fans will recognise the item trading subplot) but this is hardly a complaint as the quest becomes funnier as it unravels.

Even the comedic timing of the title card is done with expert precision as the mundane becomes the hilarious. A lot of time is spent with a trader, (Doug Mancheski) his daughter, (Olivia Graves) and their best customer (Wes Tank) but it all has a payoff like clockwork further down the line. There’s almost no dialogue but it’s all pretty cute with various stock sound effects and ZZZap! style mumbling to get the point across (UK viewers of a certain age will also recognise a Wayne Hill track). Depth here is hardly a concern and on-screen captions are sparse, and yet it works. Which means that when it totally goes off the rails (or perhaps that should be down the flume) in the finale you’ll be fully invested in the third act pandemonium.

It’s possible that the time it takes to get to the climactic chaos is a tad too long, but it’s a minor nitpick. It’s tempting to say too much and describe every detail in a conclusion that reaches for the stratosphere while mixing in Bond villain style lairs and Indiana Jones type action scenes. With overt nods to certain sci-fi chases, certain video-game finishing moves, and a court room drama for good measure; all done with cartoon visual effects for a meagre one-hundred and fifty thousand dollars. The description ‘low budget film shot in the woods’ is normally a red flag when it comes to independent releases but in this case the ingenuity on display is off the charts. The result is a true comedy gem; a movie marvel brimming with brutal gags, incredible silent-movie-meets-Tex-Avery visuals, and of course Hundreds of Beavers.

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