Hundreds of Beavers: A Review

Hundreds of Beavers is a unique, low-budget indie sensation that pays homage to the era of silent cinema through a lens of modern, “Looney Tunes” absurdity. The film stars Ryland Brickson Cole Tews as Jean Kayak, a 19th-century applejack salesman who finds himself destitute after a group of beavers destroys his distillery. Stranded in the frozen Wisconsin wilderness, Jean must evolve from a bumbling survivor into a master fur trapper to win the hand of a local merchant’s daughter, ultimately embarking on a quest to hunt down hundreds of beavers. 

The film is visually striking, shot entirely in high-contrast black and white and featuring almost no dialogue, relying instead on physical comedy and a dense layer of sound effects. One of its most charming and surreal elements is the use of human actors in full-sized, mascot-style animal suits rather than CGI, giving the movie a handmade, whimsical feel. The narrative structure also borrows heavily from video game logic, as the protagonist gradually “levels up” his gear and skills while navigating a world that operates on slapstick physics and relentless visual gags. 

Despite its modest $150,000 budget and grueling twelve-week shoot in sub-zero temperatures, the film became a massive critical success and a cult favorite. It has been hailed for its inventive spirit and staggering “gag-per-minute” ratio, earning a near-perfect rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Today, it stands as a testament to DIY filmmaking, proving that creative vision and meticulous comedic timing can resonate just as strongly as big-budget spectacles. 

This film took me by surprise each minute with its silent film era style mixed with its green screen and 2D animation approach. For anyone who is interested in experimental films, this is a must see for this decade. It can be found on Mubi and Kanopy along with Amazon Prime.

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