THE BEAVER (South by Southwest Film Festival (SXSWFF) Release AUSTIN TEXAS USA 2011)

Ben Meyers’ rating: 4.4|5.0 Stars ìììì

The Beaver—a psychological drama—bombed at box offices despite excellent acting, good concept, and good script. This movie is perfectly set to become a first-rate cult classic and will receive its deserved accolades in its own time. It’s fresh, new, and says a great deal about other peoples’ perspectives and interpretations of what is normal, not normal, and how supportive or non-supportive they may be according to their interpretations. The moral of The Beaver comes down to ‘do not let others tell you what is right, deep down you know, so just do it’ and ‘in the end nothing else matters.’ Great after-viewing discussion movie.

Film Poster Courtesy of Wikipedia

Storyline

Walter Black (Mel Gibson) is so depressed that he sleeps all day whether he is at home, at work, or in the process of having a family picture taken. His wife, Meredith Black (Jodie Foster), kicks him out of the house because she thinks he does not meet her needs. So Walter Black, now homeless, pulls into a parking lot, opens his trunk to put something in it, and finds that the trunk is too full. While emptying the trunk’s contents into a local dumpster, he finds that someone has thrown away a beaver puppet. At first glance, the beaver is of no interest to him. But after thinking about it, Walter Black realizes that the beaver could help him in his depression. He takes the beaver and uses it as a conversation mediator between himself and others. The beaver allows a barrier of protection between himself and others while he takes time to heal.

Additional Thanks

Great work for Director Jodie Foster. Thank you to Executive Producers Mohamed Mubarak Al Mazrouei, Paul Green, Jonathan King, and Jeff Skoll. Thank you to Music Composer Marcelo Zarvos for the movie score. Additional casting includes: Vice President (Cherry Jones), Porter Black (Anton Yelchin), Henry Black (Riley Thomas Stewart), Jared (Zachary Booth), and Norah (Jennifer Lawrence).

Buy a ticket? Yes? No? Maybe?

Yes. Watch for a surprise ending as Walter Black tries to disengage the beaver and re-enter the real world.

Video Critique Available Here:

Ben Meyers