@2026 by mezzanine film, inc.
THE BEAVER TRILOGY
directed by Trent Harris
2000, 85m, U.S., DCP
Introduced by filmmaker Dustin Guy Defa (The Adults)
Tuesday, February 6
2220 Arts + Archives
2220 Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90057
doors/bar: 7:30pm
film: 8pm
Among the most infamous independent films to emerge from Utah—and never made commercially available on home video—Trent Harris’ Beaver Trilogy is a cult masterpiece that deserves its reputation. In 1979, Harris visited the small town of Beaver, Utah to film a talent show for public-access television, and became fascinated by 21-year-old impersonator Richard Griffiths, known as “Groovin’ Gary”, whose grand finale is a performance in drag as Olivia Newton-John. After filming that short portrait—but leaving it unedited—Harris revisited the material for a narrative film with up-and-coming actor named Sean Penn in 1981 (Beaver Kid 2), and in 1985 rewrote the script for Crispin Glover (The Orkly Kid). In 2000, Harris combined these films together, creating a layered and poignant exploration of small-town dreams, celebrity culture and the interplay of performance and gender identity. The Beaver Trilogy is a triumph of regional independent cinema and a film that you won’t soon forget.
Special thanks to Trent Harris and Courtney Muller.
"Best Independent / Experimental Film of 2001" – Los Angeles Film Critics Association
"A rivetingly strange, multilayered inquiry into celebrity, obsession, and serendipity." – A.O. Scott, The New York Times
“Much theoretical noise has been made about the disappearance of the real, the primacy of the simulacra, and the end of art in a post-everything world. If you'd like to address these issues and walk away with laughter, rather than a headache, search out Beaver Trilogy.” -Film Comment