Ambition is the lifeblood of any artistic endeavour, but yet we find some industries are openly showing their disdain for those who demonstrate the gumption to go against the grain, despite audiences usually being receptive to works that are unlike anything we have previously encountered. However, this has not prevented many wildly audacious filmmakers from setting out to craft works that are original and inventive – and a terrific recent example comes in the form of Hundreds of Beavers, in which director Mike Cheslik (who was previously celebrated amongst those with a penchant for the alternative independent cinema for Lake Michigan Monster, which received a lot of attention amongst the target audience, but unfortunately remains mostly underseen in terms of broader viewership) cobbles together a small cast and crew and braves the American Midwest, spinning a delightful yarn centred on a 19th-century vagabond who wages a war against a seemingly endless population of beavers (as well as several other wild animals scattered throughout this arid landscape), who prove themselves to be major obstacles in several ways, becoming his primary adversaries in his continued efforts to survive hostile territory. Incredibly original and daring in a manner that we rarely find in contemporary films, Hundreds of Beavers is an incredible work of art, handcrafted by a director who shows his fondness for this material, as well as his undying devotion to make something bespoke. The results speak for themselves – a masterful provocation of both form and content, carefully pieced together from various fragments that the director and his cohorts use as the foundation for a truly inventive piece of cinema, the film is a bold and daring experiment that proves there are still genuinely creative filmmakers working outside the major studios, and whose visionary approach to the art of cinema need to be observed and appreciated, particularly in how they go against the artistic status quo, preferring to venture off in their idiosyncratic direction. Hilarious and fearless in both style and subject, Hundreds of Beavers is perhaps the most compelling film of the year, or at least the one that proves to be the most thoroughly entertaining from beginning to end.

There is a very narrow boundary between paying tribute and outright parroting the work and style of other artists, and we often find that resources and experiences are rarely ever the barometer on which we can assess whether or not a particular filmmaker is successful when it comes to borrowing from other works. However, mastering the art of homage can be an exceptional step forward for any prospective filmmaker, since it is difficult to make a film that is both honouring existing works while being original and inventive on its terms. Without even an ounce of doubt, Cheslik is someone who embodies this very concept with such incredible consistency and ingenuity, which is why I can confidently say that should he continue making films (which by all accounts he seems intent on doing), he will be viewed as one of the most compelling and intriguing contemporary filmmakers. From its first moments, Hundreds of Beavers immediately captures our attention – it helps that there are quite simply very few films like it made nowadays, which immediately gives it a boost in terms of piquing our curiosity. The difference is that it is easy to stir interest, but far more difficult to maintain that attention, especially for nearly two hours. Cheslik starts by making his inspirations very clear – the film plays like a delightfully deranged combination of Buster Keaton, as well as Charlie Chaplin’s The Gold Rush and Adolfas Mekas’ Hallelujah the Hills, amongst countless other works that are woven into the fabric of the project, whether in terms of visual or thematic content. The director makes sure to where his inspirations on his sleeve, and this film flourishes into a delightfully eccentric, heartfelt tribute to the silent era, which only strengthens the film and makes it an overall more captivating experience that keeps us entertained and enthralled from its first scene, which is already strong enough to sell us on the innumerable merits that are scattered throughout this terrific film.

Some filmmakers strive for authenticity, whereas others outwardly baulk at any implication of sincerity in their work, at least on the surface. Cheslik is clearly a director who is intent on creating a memorable experience, and while there is a possibility that this exact story could be told in a manner closer to reality, it would be both implausible from a narrative perspective, and frankly quite dull in terms of the entertainment value. The reason Hundreds of Beavers is such a delight is that it openly and proudly announces itself as an off-the-wall, eccentric experimental comedy that is as zany and bizarre as it is genuinely quite heartfelt. There are few experiences more compelling than witnessing a work of well-crafted artifice, and many of the great films of Hollywood’s classical era embraced this particular approach. The brilliance of this film is that it is very artificial – the entire project is filmed in a limited space, with the use of the tackiest and most cliched costumes (purchased from a mascot store), and a lot of intentionally wacky effects – and that once we get over the initial surprise at the visual elements, we begin to forget we’re watching something so stilted and phoney. Hundreds of Beavers takes place in an exaggerated version of reality, and the design and direction are intrinsically tied to this idea. However, this doesn’t mean that Cheslik or anyone involved uses this as an opportunity to cut corners or demonstrate any kind of narrative laziness. It motivates them to be more ingenious with how they approach these ideas since it offers the chance to redefine how stories are told. It’s effortlessly easy to suspend disbelief with this film, which is a wickedly entertaining slapstick romp – the effects (both practical and those done through other means) are wonderfully innovative, and even the music hearkens back to a specific time in the history of film, where such excessive, overly theatrical films were produced and adored by audiences. As far as Cheslik and his team are concerned, realism is overrated and dull, and they prove that there is still a place in the contemporary cinematic culture for sensational, offbeat filmmaking.

However, the sign of a truly remarkable piece of cinema that pushes boundaries and presents us with something deeply unconventional is usually found in the extent to which it can justify its existence through being more than just off-the-wall storytelling. We discover that there is a method to the madness beneath the surface of Hundreds of Beavers, and while making sense of the story or trying to understand the underlying commentary is only a small fraction of the experience, it is nonetheless vital to ensure that this is a far more layered and well-crafted film than one that is simply an endless barrage of peculiar moments. Understanding what this film represents is not too challenging – the story is steeped heavily in an old-fashioned kind of Americana, as filtered through the perspective of a younger and more revolutionary artist, someone who does not subscribe to the myth of the country’s past in the traditional sense, but still holds a lot of respect for its history and the people who populated it over the centuries. Set in a seemingly indeterminate place and time (although the contextual clues lead us to have a general idea of the setting after some time), the film is a playful examination of a simpler time in American history, an era where these idyllic landscapes were still mostly untouched and we lived in relative harmony with the natural world. The film employs the common trope of man vs. nature, which would be bordering on cliched if it wasn’t executed with such incredible dedication to the overarching premise, which is that of a single individual going up against the entirety of nature, as embodied by the villainous creatures he encounters while simply attempting to survive. The premise is simple on the surface, but there is a staggering amount of depth that influences the direction in which the film moves, and it manages to be incredibly playful and subversive, while also being reverent to the underlying ideas, making it an oddly affectionate and endearing exploration of the United States at a fascinating moment in its past.

I am truly tempted to go out on a limb and say that not only is Hundreds of Beavers a remarkable piece of filmmaking, but it is perhaps the closest we are ever going to come to finding the best example to illustrate the elusive concept of the Great American Film, which may seem hyperbolic until we realize the staggering ingenuity that lingers beneath the surface. This is the cinematic equivalent of Moby Dick or The Great Gatsby, particularly in how it captures the American experience and condenses it into a single coherent narrative, capturing the atmosphere and history in a way that is bordering on revolutionary. Both narratively and formally, this film is one of the most astonishing achievements of the past few years and is bound to define this decade as far as bespoke, daring films tend to go. Cheslik is a major talent, and both his storytelling prowess and visual style indicate that he is on the precipice of becoming someone whose work is going to challenge conventions and redefine how stories are told on screen. Unlike his previous film, which was an acquired taste at the best of times, Hundreds of Beavers is widely accessible and crosses the generational boundary when it comes to appealing to a broad audience. The filmmaking is incredibly beautiful, the humour and heart present at the core of the story undeniably moving, and the overall experience is a multidimensional, off-the-wall masterpiece that will only become more appreciated as time goes on. Independent cinema has taken on a new meaning over the last few years, so it is certainly refreshing to find a film that adheres to the original definition, which is small-scale productions propelled by nothing but pure ambition, using paltry resources and a do-it-yourself approach to crafting unforgettable images that are striking enough to stand up against any mainstream production. We don’t often find filmmakers so fervently intent on marching to the beat of their drum, but this film proves that Cheslik is someone to watch, especially based on the dedication and outright innovation he demonstrates in absolutely every aspect of this terrific, heartfelt film.