"Hundreds of Beavers" is zany, unhinged, inventive comedy

To the group of the zaniest comedies, welcome director Mike Cheslik’s “Hundreds of Beavers.” This black-and-white film, enlivened by a raucous soundtrack, combines animation, live action, puppetry, and numerous visual effects, all in the service of fur trapper Jean Kayak, as he repeatedly attempts to trap beavers in snowbound wilds to win approval of his true love’s merchant father.

In his quest, unhinged, uninhibited, undaunted Kayak will fight beavers, dogs, rabbits, wolves, woodpeckers, fish, racoons, other trappers, and the frigid elements—most of the animals resembling wacky mascots. Throughout his Sisyphean struggles, Kayak consistently relies on his ingenuity, even though almost every strategic scheme goes awry. But this summary barely begins to describe the bizarre, outlandish imagination on display for almost two hours with over fifteen hundred effect shots.

In video and written interviews, Mike Cheslik, who also edited the film, and his star Ryland Brickson Cole Tews, say the most difficult part was shooting eighty percent of the action in the northern Wisconsin and Michigan woods battling two feet of snow. Co-writers, Cheslik and Tews were inspired by Chuck Jones’ Looney Tunes and the work of directors Jacques Tati, Sion Sono, and Guy Maddin. Cheslik also includes homages to James Bond and a host of video games, silent films, and slapstick comedy.
 
At times indulging a salacious sense of humor, the film never dwells on the more juvenile humor. The fast pace and quick wit of those diabolical animals, all brutalizing Jean Kayak, lift the action into the realm of fantastical insanity, and I mean that as a warning and a compliment. The film begins with titles announcing, “It is always hard to see the purpose in wilderness wanderings until after they are over,” a quote credited to John Bunyan. But for “Hundreds of Beavers,” it’s the journey itself that is the reward for anyone courageous or crazy enough to embrace this unique, inspired craziness. “Hundreds of Beavers” screens at Webster University’s Winifred Moore auditorium Friday, March 1, through Sunday, March 3, at 7:00 each of those evenings. For more information, you may visit the film series website.