My Cultural Diet

Take a sampling of classic Looney Tunes animation, a dash of Michel Gondry, a pinch of those crazy Japanese commercials that Arnold Schwarzenegger did in the ’80s, a healthy dose of silent filmmaking, plenty of absurdist slapstick, and a fanciful take on Wisconsin history, and that just scratches the surface of the bizarre little film that is Hundreds of Beavers. Shot for $150,000 over the course of twelve weeks, Hundreds of Beavers follows the exploits of Jean Kayak, who seeks to become the region’s greatest fur trapper and win the hand of the local merchant’s daughter — but first he must use his wits to survive the winter and figure out how to outsmart and trap all of the local animals. (Who, by the way, are played by people in animal suits.) And of course, he must do battle with the army of beavers that’s hard at work building a mysterious structure by the river. There are moments when the film’s gags wear a bit thin, but there are also moments that had me chortling with glee whilst admiring its unique low-budget aesthetic mashup. I can only imagine the blast that Hundreds of Beavers would be if you saw it in a theater with an audience of like-minded individuals.

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