FILM: THE BEAVER: SYDNEY FILM FESTIVAL SERIES
Review By Duncan McLeod
Director: Jodie Foster
Cast: Jodie Foster, Mel Gibson, Anton Yelchin, Jennifer Lawrence
Synopsis:
Review:
“Everything’s going to be alright…but what if it isn’t” – Porter (Yelchin)
Mel Gibson’s public persona is in ruins. There is no denying that. His public antics with alcoholism, women and racist remarks have affected audiences so heavily that they have not only turned against the person, they have turned against the actor. Another well known ‘Australian’ felt the same public wrath a few years ago. Gibson’s antics have simply been ongoing.
In Walter Black, Gibson finds not only redemption but salvation. Walter is troubled, tortured and mentally ill. Already there are striking parallels between Gibson’s own life and that of Black’s. You could almost say the part was written for him, and if it wasn’t it should have been.
Unable to cope on his own, Black speaks to his wife and children through a puppet; a beaver. Not only does he converse with his family this way, but also with the employees at the toy company he inherited and generally everyone he meets.
There is much comedy in the relationship Black has with this beaver. There is also a deep sadness. His distance from his family, in particular his wife and eldest son is made all the more so as Black refuses to communicate with them other than through the beaver. However Black has not got the courage to converse without the aid of his furry friend and therein lies the problem.
Gibson, Yelchin and Foster are brilliant as the central cast. Foster deserves heaped praise for having faith in Gibson’s ability and casting him here. The two really gel as husband and wife despite the estranged nature between them in the story. The poignant scenes of despair from Foster’s character Meredith are understated and powerful. The chemistry between these two great actors is very thick indeed.
Anton Yelchin as their above average intelligence son, puts in a solid performance. His face is very emotive and the camera frames his expressions well enough for the audience to understand him without uttering a word.
There is little that Yelchin’s character, Porter, has to do with Walter as Porter despises his father and wants nothing to do with him or the ridiculous beaver. His younger brother Henry played by Riley Thomas Stuart is there to brighten the faces of the audience in the depths of despair. There are touching moments where Henry interacts with the beaver, however Henry is all too young to really understand what’s happening with his father, despite asking the right questions.
Jennifer Lawrence play’s Porter’s love interest. There is a nice sub-plot between them, but when Norah (Lawrence) reveals a secret things get a little too convoluted for the plot. To focus solely on the demise and rise of Walter Black would have served the story well, there was no need for the Norah sub-plot as the wild roller-coaster beaver ride would have been enough to satisfy the audience. Lawrence is well cast as the love interest however and brings equal parts drama and sweetness to her portrayal. Both her and Yelchin seem to riff off each other well enough, in that awkward college kind of manner.
Foster shows great prowess in her direction. Her handling of a well crafted script from Kyle Killen is top notch. Killen, in this his first feature screenplay, has been able to tap into the heart of a troubled man and produce some emotive gems with relative ease.
Foster in her third directorial outing shows talent behind the lens. There is nothing incredibly cinematic about this story, it is more about the characters. That is reflected in the camera work. There is a warmth to the film that invites you into the very private and whacky world of Walter.
There is no doubt that Gibson can carry a film. There is enough emotion, interest and drama here that you get the impression Gibson is using this film as catharsis for his own mistakes. What the audience does bear witness to is the unravelling of a man who seemingly had it all, and was very much together. Sound like anyone you know?
This is the role of Mel Gibson’s career. Even if you loathe the man, this is a worthy second (or third) chance.
A public apology would go a long way to bring me back in the fold. Sounds like a prescient role for him.But I’ll likely skip his films from here on out. Good review Duncan.