The Beaver is crazy good. (PUN!) The South By Southwest Film Festival was treated with the World Premiere of the latest work from director/star Jodie Foster. Written by an Austin local, Kyle Killen pens a story about trying to find ones voice without drowning in other people’s influences. Dealing with the ideas of depression and self expression, The Beaver follows a depressed man on the brink of disaster (incredibly played by Mel Gibson) and his intelligent son with no escape (Anton Yelchin).
The movie starts off showing Mel Gibson playing Walter Black as an absent father who can only seem to sleep. “It’s as if he’s dead but doesn’t have enough sense to take his body with him.” He has two sons, Porter (Anton Yelchin) and Henry (Riley Thomas Stewart), and a fed up wife named Meredith (played by Jodie Foster). Meredith has enough and finally kicks Walter out of the house leaving him clueless as what to do next. He’s at the end of the line which is where he meets…The Beaver.
The Beaver is a prescription puppet. It’s used to help distance the troubled person away from the negativity in their life and have a fresh start with a new personality. Apparently Walter has tried everything from pills to therapy and this is his last resort. Armed with an Australian Cockney accent, The Beaver lives on Walters left hand and takes on a life of its own. Most of the comedy of the movie comes from The Beaver and it’s hilarious. Could you imagine talking to a grown man through a puppet? Mel Gibson’s performance isn’t just amazing for playing the part of Walter, but his puppeteering skills are incredible. You really feel as if The Beaver is a character of its own.
Jennifer Lawrence and Anton Yelchin in The Beaver
Story two involves Walter’s oldest son Porter. He’s a troubled teen just as his father but deals with it in a totally different way. Instead of expressing himself and talking through a puppet, Porter writes other student’s papers for money while writing as them. He’s talking through them. With this story, you get high school drama involving him and the cute valedictorian (Jennifer Lawrence) that can’t seem to write her thoughts down for her graduation speech and has problems of her own. This story isn’t as powerful or engaging as the former, but it’s a great compliment and juxtaposition.
The stories flow very nicely and keeps the audience engaged making them wonder what’s going to happen next. They switch back and forth every now and then having many parallels with each other literally showing the expression: “like father, like son.” Having your main character talk through a hand puppet through personal life, work, and everything in between is so ridiculous but becomes commonplace by the middle of the movie. You try and figure out how he’s going to use The Beaver with his kids, in the office, during sex…it’s all in there, and it’s all great. Without Mel’s performance, I don’t think this movie could’ve worked. Of course you’re going to have discussions on how he is insane which is why it was so easy for him to play a nut, but his acting is superb and uncanny.
Walter Black (Mel Gibson) with his youngest son and The Beaver
While having great comedic writing, Jodie Foster points out that this isn’t a comedy. It deals with the serious subject of suicidal depression and it handles it very well. There’s so much going on with various relationships and situations that an audience member can read into any little thing but the movie doesn’t hide its intentions or messages. While some movies leave some things to interpretation, the imagery and symbolism in this one is pretty straight forward. This is a pretty good mix of indie vibes and mainstream attraction. Even though the subject matter doesn’t scream blockbuster…this was a great movie and one of my favorites of the festival so far.
This post is part of our SXSW Film Festival coverageThe South by Southwest® (SXSW®) Conferences & Festivals offer the unique convergence of original music, independent films, and emerging technologies. Fostering creative and professional growth alike, SXSW® is the premier destination for discovery. The internationally acclaimed, nine-day Film Festival celebrates raw innovation and emerging talent, with a truly diverse program ranging from provocative documentaries to subversive Hollywood comedies.Visit South by Southwest’s Official Website
Tags: Anton Yelchin, Jennifer Lawrence, Jodie Foster, Kyle Killen, Mel Gibson, Riley Thomas Stewart, The Beaver
Matthew Fong created advancescreenings.com and is the lead contributor. He watches every type of movie and will try almost anything twice. You can follow him on twitter here: @matthewfong
