The Beaver Trilogy
Director: Trent Harris Run Time: 83 min. Format: DCP Rating: NR Release Year: 2000
Starring: Groovin’ Gary, Sean Penn, Crispin Glover
“A rivetingly strange, multi-layered inquiry into celebrity, obsession, and serendipity.” – A.O. Scott- New York Times
In 1979, director Trent Harris stumbled upon an eager stranger in a news station parking lot in Utah. Introducing himself as “Groovin’ Gary,” he showed off his celebrity impersonations and invited Harris to his small town of Beaver, promising a show of the local talent and his own performance as “Olivia Newton-Dawn.” Captivated by this earnest figure, Harris recreated the scenario twice, first with a young (pre-Spicoli) Sean Penn, then a slightly more polished version with Crispin Glover. Almost two decades passed before The Beaver Trilogy was shown to an audience in 2000, quickly gaining cult status for anyone who could track it down. It remains a unique contemplation of sincerity and vulnerability of misfits finding their way in the world.