Sasquatch Sunset is a vulgar, trippy mockumentary. It’s full of sex, urine, feces, and engorged Bigfoot penis — but that’s just a disguise over a melancholic, soulful, and beautiful adult drama about life, growing, and loss, and one of the best films of the year, so far.
Jesse Eisenberg as Young Male in SASQUATCH SUNSET. Photo courtesy of Bleecker Street.
Directing duo David and Nathan Zellner (The Curse) are known for making quirky and unique independent cinema, so it’s no surprise that they would tackle a film that has no distinguishable actors, no dialogue, and features only Bigfoot creatures. This ain’t Harry and the Hendersons and it’s not a horror movie, it’s about a small group of Sasquatches as they embark on a journey over the course of a year. The photography and style are reminiscent of a BBC nature documentary in a backdrop of California redwoods and big skies.
The film is lead by Jesse Eisenberg (Vivarium; The Social Network) as Young Male and Riley Keough (Mad Max: Fury Road; Logan Lucky) as The Female, neither of whom you would never recognize under such heavy prosthetics as they grunt and whoop their way across the forest. Also among them are The Child (Christophe Zajac-Denek) and The Alpha (Nathan Zellner), all of whom play their roles with such a natural, yet animalistic intent.
L-R: Riley Keough as The Female, Jesse Eisenberg as Young Male, and Christophe Zajac-Denek as The Child in SASQUATCH SUNSET. Photo courtesy of Bleecker Street.
The nomadic family’s year-long journey, marked by the changing of the seasons, is often hilarious, sometimes sad, and even tragic; the closer they get to their destination, the higher the stakes become, and it’s impossible to look away. The score, done by frequent collaborators The Octopus Project, has a folksy, Americana sound, perfectly fit for the whimsy and soul on screen.
L-R: Jesse Eisenberg as Young Male and Christophe Zajac-Denek as The Child in SASQUATCH SUNSET. Photo courtesy of Bleecker Street.
One of the wonders of this film is how easy it is to watch. The performers are so immersed, you could look at any of them, at any time, and see a wild animal just doing its thing. The narrative is loose, but cohesive and easy to follow. Seeing them communicate with each other, watching their body language, it’s such a joy to watch a film and its actors go all out, with zero self-consciousness. You have to see it to believe it. Each Sasquatch has its own temperament and personality. The Alpha is more on the animal side, leaning toward the more basic of instincts, while Young Male appears to have more human characteristics, often trying to count with various results.
The Sasquatch lore is abundant. If you are a Bigfoot enthusiast or just know it from popular culture, somethings will be familiar while others utilize a bit more creative license. There are a number of interactions with live animals which will certainly be remembered. The difference in levels of intelligence between them and modern humans isn’t something I think the filmmakers are commenting on, but seeing the ape-like creatures, so close to what some ancestral species of ours might have looked like, creates an opportunity for fun conversation.
Nathan Zellner as The Alpha in SASQUATCH SUNSET. Photo courtesy of Bleecker Street.
As the end of the film draws near to the end, the eerie, sometimes threatening signs of human civilization loom large. We have been on this cinematic journey, experiencing everything along with the Sasquatch family, fully on their team. Putting us into this family unit really drove home the effect humans have had on nature, whether it’s because the Sasquatch are humanoid, or maybe because they are so lovable. The powerful and poignant ending is a testament to the acting and the filmmakers, getting us to care about mythological creatures and hope that maybe they do exist out there somewhere, being one with nature and staying away from fallen trees.
Sasquatch Sunset Special Features:
- The only bonus feature on the disc is the short film Sasquatch Birth Journal #2, which is listed as “The Zellner Bros. first foray into Sasquatch filmmaking, a short film that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2011.” It’s nature camera footage of a loosely costumed character standing in a tree going through labor, eventually pushing out a baby.
Available on Blu-ray and DVD May 28th, 2024.
For more information, head to the official Bleecker Street Sasquatch Sunset webpage.
Final Score: 4 out of 5.
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Categories: Home Release, Home Video, Recommendation, Reviews
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