Hundreds of Beavers (2023)

-Written by Kyle Bain. 

When Jean Kayak (Rylan Brickson Cole Tews), a successful applejack salesman, loses everything, he’s forced to shift his focus. He now looks to become the greatest fur trapper in North America–and standing in his way are Hundreds of Beavers. As he traverses the frozen tundra, he will face more than just beavers, as solitude, love, and other human struggles come into play. 

A predominantly silent film (or at least heavily reminiscent of one), Hundreds of Beavers takes viewers back to the 1920’s when silent films reigned supreme and filmmakers relied heavily on slapstick comedy to retain an audience and appeal to them throughout the duration of their film. However, Hundreds of Beavers is far more ridiculous than what one might have seen in a Charles Chaplin or Buster Keaton film–as our protagonist takes on hundreds of beavers, racoons, rabbits, and more. Though, these animals aren’t real animals, or even computer generated animals–but rather humans in costumes. Writer-Director Mike Cheslik estimates that production spent around ten-thousand dollars on costumes alone, so, imagine how many people you have running around wearing absurd animal costumes with a budget like that!

Let’s be honest, Hundreds of Beavers is absolutely insane. It’s ridiculous, it’s painstakingly cringe worthy, and it’s a film that will appeal to only a niche group of people. Tews is paired with men in costumes and a ton of animation–and together they create a series of visuals that will likely be off putting to the masses. You’d be hard pressed to find someone who truly appreciates the majority of this film, and with the visuals being the most prominent feature of the film, it’s them that will lead a long line of reasons as to why Hundreds of Beavers struggles to find success. 

Like just about everything else, Jean Kayak is odd–and he’s given almost no speaking lines in order to help make him appear more human or relatable. Though, Tews and his incredibly expressive face tend to pair well with the themes and tones of Hundreds of Beavers. He is Chaplin-esque, and he does possess some of the same physical capabilities that Chaplin did through his years of success. He ultimately allows Hundreds of Beavers to remain watchable throughout its duration. 

With all of the oddities that have a home here in Hundreds of Beavers, the underlying narrative of the film is that of solitude and struggle–one that can reach the masses and has a level of emotional relevance. It touches on mental health, the American Dream, and ideas of success in an otherwise troublesome environment. It’s meaningful beneath the surface–but that glorious purpose is surrounded by so many nonsensical entities that it can be challenging for viewers to ever discover them. It’s clear that Cheslik and Co-Writer Tews put in the work when it comes to the narrative, but they are so overzealous in regard to so many other aspects of Hundreds of Beavers, that the narrative can sometimes feel frumpy and unappealing. 

Hundreds of Beavers plays out like a combination of a 1920’s Chaplin film and Looney Tunes, blended together in rare, unparalleled form. It’s a film that will likely turn viewers off in just the opening minutes, and as the film progresses (if you’re not willing to look beneath the surface) it will become even more challenging for you to remain focused. There are some technical proficiencies that allow the film to barrel forward. The sound design, for example, keeps pace with the ridiculousness of the film and helps to provide some level of meaning throughout. Tews is expressive and fun, and he does what he can with what he’s given. Hundreds of Beavers has some underlying meaning that does have the potential to appeal to viewers, but, as a whole, this is a difficult watch. It will find its niche group of viewers, and that’s who it will appeal to–but likely not many others. 

Directed by Mike Cheslik. 

Written by Mike Cheslik & Rylan Brickson Cole Tews. 

Starring Rylan Brickson Cole Tews, Olivia Graves, Wes Tank, Doug Mancheski, Luis Rico, etc. 

6/10 = WATCH IT FOR FREE