Beavers are known as true construction artists, but that they have Nazi traits is probably rather new. In the film by Masha….., the beaver is freshly at work finalizing his new mega structure, a gigantic dam in the middle of a forest with a tiny stream. Or rather, he is building it. Two rats are his hard-working service providers who do everything for him obediently and to the best of their ability.
When the last hole in the dam is sealed, a pompous opening speech is of course a must and while the beaver gives a speech in grand style at the top of the dam, the two rats down below justifiably wonder who he is actually talking to.
But there is no end to the megalomania when it comes to building the dam. The beaver lodge, properly accessible in the depths of the lake, resembles a high-tech temple. Water slide, viewing platform, ice machine, bar counter, pool table and indoor waterfalls… Of course, the obligatory tycoon cowboy hat that the beaver has put on his head is a must at the end. All that’s missing for perfection are friends.
Far away from his megabuilding, Hare & Fox live with their friends in a peaceful and tranquil wooded area. They are celebrating a farewell party for Mermaid and Seal. As evening falls, however, it’s time to go to bed. Only Owl sits dutifully (half) awake, as he does every evening, until the silence of the forest is broken by something rustling. She catches sight of something shiny in the dark, slowly making its way through the forest to her “village”. Owl is shocked to discover that it is water and she has a great aversion to water, which is why she never travels without a swimming ring. Worried, she tries to inform her friends about the incident, but fails because they are all already in a deep sleep. So she has no choice but to find out the reason herself. When she sees the lake, she inevitably faints and falls into the water with her swimming ring. As the new day slowly dawns, Owl drifts towards the beaver dam, where she does not remain undiscovered.
The next morning, the friends quickly realize that not only is there a wet problem, but there is also no sign of Owl. There’s no question that they all set off together in search of their feathered friend, a search that in part puts their friendship to the test.
Conclusion:
Admittedly, I only went to this movie because I wanted to get my child excited about the Berlinale. This movie is recommended for ages 5 and up and this requirement was met. She liked the movie, even if there was no rainbow when it rained (quote from the child).
For my part, I honestly expected a little more humor. The various characters actually provide enough potential for this, but it is not exploited enough. The water-shy owl with the swimming ring was my personal favorite, closely followed by a wild boar in a discreet gothic look. The idea with the mega beaver lair was also quite original and had something of a realm of evil from a James Bond movie.
However, it is somehow unclear what message the movie actually wanted to convey and the movie could have done more to appeal to the young audience. For example, I spontaneously remember the movie “The Rocket” (2013) from that generation, where a family has to leave their village because the whole area is to be flooded because of a dam.
Sure, a beaver builds dams (even if not on such a large scale), but the animals don’t really question this. And even (spoiler alert) when the dam falls at the end and the animals can return to their burrows, not a single word is said about the completely cleared forest, only the camera briefly captures the clear-cutting once again. It would have been quite possible to show at least something like a joint planting campaign with the beaver.
Actors:
Rob Rackstraw (beaver, rat, wild boar, Jack)
Dan Skinner (Fox, Rat)
Jamie Quinn (Owl)
Teresa Galagher (Rabbit)
Sarah Madigan (Penguin, Mermaid)
Directed by:
Mascha Halberstad
More info about the movie:
https://www.berlinale.de/de/2024/programm/202407066.html
Trailer:
