Director Mike Cheslik’s new comedy feature, Hundreds Of Beavers, has officially begun its North American rollout after making the rounds with its Great Lakes Roadshow beginning in January. Cheslik reteams with actor Ryland Brickson Cole Tews following their previous work on 2018’s Lake Michigan Monster.
Filmed in the span of four years between Michigan and Wisconsin, Tews stars in Hundreds Of Beavers from a script he and Cheslik wrote for a story that combines robust live-action slapstick and thrills with zany cartoon spectacle and laughs. Combined with appearances by the cast during the Roadshow with Q&As bookending the premieres, Hundreds Of Beavers stands to be one of the most immersive, interactive theatrical experiences for anyone who’s had the chance to come to one of these.
Set in the 1800s, Hundreds Of Beavers tells of Jean Kayak (Tews), a drunken applejack salesman who suffers the brunt of an intrusive infestation of beavers who’ve devastated his business while colonizing the forest. The film chronicles Kayak’s tenacious efforts to survive the unforgiving snow-driven wilderness while trying to charm a beautiful furrier, whose equally implacable merchant father sets the ultimate stage for Kayak to finally prove himself worthy of his blessing.
Hundreds Of Beavers also stars Olivia Graves, Doug Mancheski, Luis Rico, and Wes Tank. Tews also produced the film along with Sam Hogerton, Kurt Ravenwood, and Matt Sabljak.
Read my Fantastic Fest review, and feel free to check out my editorial on the film’s Q&A screening event at the IFC Center last week. For details and locations on the film’s showings, tap here for the film’s official website.
