THE BEAVER

US, 2011, 91 minutes. Colour.
Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster, Anton Yelchin, Jennifer Lawrence, Cherry Jones, Riley Thomas Stewart.
Cameos: Jon Stewart, Matt Lauer.
Directed by Jodie Foster.

A serious film about Depression (with a credit note at the end that Depression is a family matter, that it is important for a family to be part of the treatment of this mental illness).

We are introduced to Walter Black, married with two children, who has sunk into depression and cannot find a way out. His family don’t know how to respond. His wife loves him but finds it more difficult to cope with his erratic behaviour and mood swings. His teenage son resents his father, fearing that he could become like him and noting behaviours that he will try to avoid in his own life. His little boy is closing in on himself. Walter compares himself to his father with resentment and senses that he is a loser. Workers in his toy company are bewildered. He finally gets to his limit and contemplates suicide.

Audiences who may be wary of mental illness may find the rest of the film puzzling or may try to laugh it off. Some psychiatrists may be wary of the method shown for dealing with the depression. Most of us in between may be absorbed by the struggle of a man trying to deal with his inner conflicts and his alternate self by the use of a puppet on his left hand, a toy beaver, who takes on a life and voice and accent, not of its own, but of an outer Walter Black who can argue with the inner Walter and evoke responses from others via the beaver.

One method used in counselling in the past was that of the two chairs. The client speaks from one chair and moves to the other to answer and continue a dialogue that can reveal inner puzzles and struggles. The Beaver seems a variation on this method.

There is a parallel sub-plot (which gets more attention, perhaps, than it needs to when we want to focus on Walter). Porter, the teenage son, is also a troubled young man. One of his activities at school is to write assignments for fellow students (at a price). In that way, he becomes a beaver writer and voice for the students. This comes to a dramatic head when the valedictorian asks him to write her speech. She also has problems, especially with her brother having over-dosed. She has expressed herself in vivid graffiti but has retreated into herself in ways similar to Walter’s withdrawal.

There is a great deal of personal drama for the family and their inability to cope with depression and with the beaver, except for the little boy who is able to communicate better with his father.

There are no easy answers to these problems but there is hope (which, for many tastes may be too much of American feel-good in the final images). However, there is some irony as Walter Black and the beaver are shown as becoming momentary media celebrities with TV and radio interviews (with Matt Lauer and Jon Stewart as themselves on their talk shows). A recent film that would serve as a companion film is Helen, with Ashley Judd as an academic who struggles with depression.

Mel Gibson is very good as Walter Black, showing the ravages of depression, using a different voice for the beaver, dialoguing with himself. Jodie Foster, who also directed the film, plays Walter’s wife. Anton Yelchin and Jennifer Lawrence portray the young man and young woman.

The performance stands on its own as a piece of acting, without reference to Mel Gibson’s own life, his beaver-like rants and his desperate behaviour. They are not part of the film itself, although as many would note, Walter Black, in some ways, may not be all that far from the real Mel Gibson, which does make it interesting that he chose at this stage of his life to act in this particular film.

1. A film of mental illness? Coping with mental illness? The individual? The family? Doctors? Therapy?

2. A film from middle America, ordinary homes, factories, restaurants, schools? The background of television celebrity shows? The musical score?

3. The title and expectations, the puppet, the toy, the background of beavers? The beaver with Walter? His alter-ego? The splitting of personality? The ultimate rejection of the beaver? The ultimate mutilation?

4. The introduction to Walter Black, in the beaver’s voice (the British accent)? His explanation of himself, his inability to cope, his portrait of Meredith, her devotion, of Porter and his antagonism, of Henry? The explanation of the family? Audiences identifying with the family and with Walter?

5. Walter, his age, his appearance, as a father, husband, his work in the factory, relationship with the staff, grim? His sleeping, in the water, his leaving home, the rope, the suicide attempt? The balcony?

6. The beaver, the voice, talking, the equivalent of a two-chairs therapy, alternate ego, the split in consciousness? The discussions between the beaver and Walter? Walter as a loser, his work, less worth, helpless? The appearance of the beaver?

7. Meredith, the twenty years of marriage, loving her husband, her children, trying to protect the children, her leaving, exasperation? The return, the meal, her hopes because of the box, with Henry? Her going to pick up Henry at school and missing him? The anniversary, going to the meal, wanting the real Walter? The failure of the dinner, her leaving? Did she try hard enough?

8. Henry, his age, silent, alone at school, put in the dumpster, rescued by the teacher, his mother not seeing him, his talk, his being collected by Walter, their working together, the box, the woodwork? Henry and his being able to talk to his father as well as to the beaver? His bond with his father, the farewell?

9. The contrast with Porter, his age, his experiences with his father, his anger, his room, the list of things in his father that he didn’t want to be like? Walter leaving and his being glad? His relationship with his mother? Arguing about Walter coming back? His eating alone? At school, writing the essays, being paid, the student and his essay? His being ashamed? The rebuke from his grandmother, their being brought before the principal?

10. Norah, Porter’s admiration for her, the note, the meeting, the task, their conversations, going out, the date, the graffiti, Norah’s mother, being taken to Porter’s special place? The graffiti: RIP Brian? Norah’s anger, the story of her brother and his overdose? Her watching Walter on the television, her grim view of Walter and taking it out on Porter? Yet her wanting him to continue to write her valedictory speech?

11. Walter and his work, his failure to communicate? The expectations from his father’s reputation? His going to work with the beaver, the discussions with the vice president? His taking over? The production success of the beaver and the building toy? The market? Becoming a celebrity? Going on the television interviews, Matt Lauer and Jon Stewart and their different styles? The radio interview? The whole range of relations and friends watching it – the various reactions to his performance on the television? What he was revealing about himself?

12. Porter, the writing of the speech, talking straight to Norah? His reaction to the beaver? At the valedictory, listening to Norah, Norah’s own speech – and no longer having Porter as her particular beaver?

13. Walter, his despair, the clash with the beaver, the mutilation to his arm? Porter finding him, going to the hospital, Meredith at his bedside? The children? The new hand, the therapies to get him functioning again?

14. The portrait of the children and the effect of having a depressed father? The mother not coping? Their leaving and setting up a new life?

15. The hope, the final images, the reunited family?

16. The audience and the response to this portrait of depression? Of puzzling over treatment and how to handle situations? The final credits – and depression being a family matter?