Ever since the advent of sound in the 1920s, the very idea that we would go back to silent pictures seems ludicrous. But this style of filmmaking isnât completely dead. We had a Best Picture back in 2011 called The Artist that was largely a visual film with no dialogue. Many independent directors such as Todd Haynes, Guy Madden, and Pedro AlmodĂłvar have dabbled in the art form; breathing in new life. Some of the best animated features are as such. So, it would stand that there is still gas in the tank for this engine to keep going. And, to be honest; with the chatter online, we could use a little less squawking.
Comedy, granted, could be the easiest of genres in which no talking wouldnât be a detriment. After watching Hundreds of Beavers, I would say that nothing about this film was easy. Coming to us from our neighbors to the north in Wisconsin, âBeaversâ follows our hero Jean Kayak played by co-writer Ryland Brickson Cole Tews, who is stranded in the frozen wilderness after the apple orchard he worked at is destroyed. But this is not The Revenant. In a series of increasingly crazy vignettes, Jean must learn to trap and hunt to stay alive. Along the way he meets a furrier who teaches him. Also, he comes upon a merchant and his butcher daughter whom he plans to sell his wears to.
As simplistic as this sounds, the technical work behind the scenes were anything but. Using rotoscoping animation and old-timey camera filters to give the feel of a Buster Keaton film, director Mike Cheslik creates a master class in slapstick and goofy humor that would make both the Marx Brothers and the Three Stooges blush. To create the fauna of the forest, the crew either created puppets or wore cartoonish animal costumes with mascot-type heads. None of this should work, but it just adds to the zany atmosphere surrounding this production.
Even as we would love to forget about winter, it would not disappoint you to step into a cold wasteland once more. Trust me, you would be splitting at the seams with laughter from beginning to end. It is on Amazonâs Freevee with a subscription or Tubi for no money at all.
From live action to animation, this year Oscar-winning feature is also the most captivating. Flow comes to us from Latvia and follows a black cat who is displaced when its home is devastated in a flash flood. Survival is a common theme between these two films, as the cat must escape on a boat to safety. Along the way, our feline protagonist meets a group of mangy dogs it doesnât care for. Also in the boat is a capybara, a bird, and a lemur. And with the exception of some animal noises, we can only infer through expressions their inner feelings. These digital renders were done beautifully so. In certain scenes, it would hard to distinguish real from fake as in many of the water sequences.
Director Gints Zilbalodis and his team shape a world that feels like a cut scene in video games, but has the drama of any great narrative. By the time the film is done, I was shocked how fast it flew by. The massaging is never heavy handed. As the climax hints at something deeper to the story, you are never left feeling you misunderstood or that the filmmakers are wasting your time. It made me wonder if they were in the practice of Zen Buddhism or Transcendental Meditation given the events we witness. I wasnât surprised the Academy handed the award over to them. If you get a chance, head over to HBO Max where it is streaming. Two great movies with a lot of heart, both will warrant repeat viewings.
