I seriously never thought that “The Beaver” would ever see the light of day,  Given the recent controversy surrounding Mel Gibson’s personal life, I thought that not one studio executive would plan on releasing it anytime soon, if at all. So after finally settling on a release date, and after all the speculation and all the delays, Jodie Foster’s “The Beaver” finally hits theaters and the result is…………….a very good picture with Mel Gibson giving a performance that’s probably the best of his career. It attempts to tackle a difficult subject manner, (Mental illness/depression), and succeeds at doing so.  “The Beaver” is a complex, emotionally effective and sad film that, I think, it is one of the year’s best.

Mel Gibson plays Walter Black, a father of two and a man who was once a happy and successful CEO of a toy company but has fallen into a deep depression. The film shows that he has had depression for a couple of years and Walter just sleeps the days away. It’s because of his depression that his marriage falls apart and his toy company goes into near bankruptcy. His wife Meredith, (Jodie Foster, who also Directed), is fed up with his depression and his oldest son hates him, so she kicks him out of the house. This adds even more sadness to Walter’s life, so he attempts suicide in his hotel room but fails and gets knocked out. Walter then wakes up and starts talking to a beaver puppet he found in a dumpster outside a liquor store earlier in the night. The puppet’s name is fittingly called The Beaver and he states, with a British accent (provided by Gibson), that he is here to save Walter’s life.

So it’s from this point on that Walter decides to reinvent his life by communicating through the puppet; he takes the puppet wherever he goes and the puppet starts to basically take over his life. He talks using the puppet to his family and colleagues at his company and it seems to work because his life starts to get back together. His younger son embraces it and his wife, confused, but plays along with it because he seems happy again. However his oldest son Porter (Anton Yelchin) hates his father and resents him even more that he is back with, and with all things a puppet. He goes as far as writing down the comparisons between the two so he can avoid becoming him.  So the film explores Walter’s communication and healing method and how Walter’s mental illness affects his family and his life.

At first glance, the film seems to be some absurd comedy; however, I going to tell you right now that this film is not a comedy. Yes, there are some moments of comedy in the beginning of the movie because it pokes fun at the fact that this guy is carrying around a beaver puppet. But there is a scene towards the second act where the film hits you with such emotion that the film takes turn down a dark and sad path.  There are only a few moments of dark humor to provide some comic relief due to the fact that this film is so sad, but still good all at the same time. Director Jodie Foster knows how to balance the right sense of comedy and drama to make it feel realistic.  It’s not by any means absurd either since, like I said earlier, the film tackles a serious subject matter of mental illness/ depression and succeeds at that.  This isn’t the first film to deal with the subject matter of depression but it’s the way they show Walter’s specific communication/healing process that makes it feel fresh and original. It’s unique and it’s interesting to show how he deals with it.

The performances also help add to the realistic take on mental illness. Such as Jodie Foster’s great performance as his wife, she brings out on how a confused person may react to this specific communication process. But yet feels sorry for her husband and she is willing to play along to get back to where they were, and as he tries to help himself. It’s a very good performance and she has good chemistry with Mel Gibson. The kid’s performances also show how depression affects a kid’s life. Riley Thomas Stewart gives a memorable performance as his the younger son who doesn’t understand his father’s illness but yet embraces his healing method. He seems to be the only one who still cares for him.

Anton Yelchin gives one of his best performances in his young career as the son who hates his father. Yelchin has good chemistry with the cast and his love interest with a girl named Norah. She is played by Jennifer Lawrence (Academy award nominated leading actress in 2010 Winter’s Bone) and she gives a memorable performance as Porter’s love interest. It’s basically two stories in one movie, but it is essential because the film shows how Yelchin’s character’s personal life is affected by his father’s mental illness. It also shows the similarities between Porter and his dad. At the same time, it explores how mental illness is viewed from different people or, in other words, the misunderstanding of their specific illness.  Porter hated his father for what he is doing but he can’t see the fact that this is there is something wrong with him. Most people today can’t comprehend mental illness since you physically cannot see it or touch it, and most just disregard it as someone being crazy, but they’re not. That is the honest theme that the film explores and it shows it very well.

Mel Gibson’s performance as Walter Black that is the film’s strong point. His performance is brilliant, dark, heartbreaking, effective, and sad. He accurately and realistically shows the life of a depressed man. Even though it’s been done before, he makes it all his own. He is also pretty funny when he is voicing The Beaver because he sounds charismatic, appealing and funny when talking through the puppet. He brilliantly transcends from depression to a different type of character. He plays a depressed man so well that you care for him from beginning to end. You can also make the parallel to his own life, somewhat of an art-imitates life thing. But instead of depression, its alcoholism, and I’m sure Gibson has gone through the same issues. Plus, I know some people will continue to think about Mel Gibson’s past when watching the film, but please leave the actor and the person as two differences. If you do that then you will appreciate his performance because it is a very sad, funny and emotional performance that’s probably the best of his career.  It’s a shame he may never get recognized for his performance due to the fact of the controversy surrounding Gibson. Maybe he will if the press gets behind him, but most likely not, which is still a shame.

“The Beaver” is a tough and honest film because it shows how disturbed someone can get if they have a mental illness. I also have to praise Kyle Killien’s screenplay because that’s what makes the film feel fresh. Jodie Foster’s direction brings out powerful performances from the main cast, especially from Mel Gibson. I know many people won’t go see this because Mel Gibson’s name is on it, but I ask you, if there is one film I ask you to see this year, it’s this. This is a film that can’t be dismissed easily because of a TMZ story on Mel Gibson. Like I said before, this by no means an all-around comedy. I know a guy using a beaver puppet as a way of communication sounds funny but no, it’s the complete opposite. It’s a brilliant, compelling, sad, dark, insightful, affective and moving film that features a career performance by Mel Gibson, and I truly think that this is one of the best films that explore mental illness and is one of the best films of the year.

****| PG-13| 91 Minutes