A Surreal Dialogue-Free Bigfoot Comedy That Must Be Seen To Be Believed

The first thing you need to know about Sasquatch Sunset is that it’s not a film for everybody, but for those it clicks with, it may be a truly special viewing experience. Through wordless grunts, shockingly vulgar imagery, and at times poignant beauty, this strange and unusual film follows a family of four Sasquatch over a year as they traverse the brutal natural world and all the exciting, mundane, and treacherous realities of their everyday lives. A slow-moving and repetitive movie, Sasquatch Sunset took its time fleshing out the world of these humanoid creatures and their inscrutable existence.

Sasquatch Sunset features a small cast of four that includes Jesse Eisenberg, Riley Keough, Christophe Zajac-Denek, and Nathan Zellner, who co-wrote and directed the film with his brother, David. In full bodysuits, makeup, and with a commendable level of commitment, the actors look truly marvelous in their hairy get-ups as they move with an interesting mix of human and ape-like characteristics. With no backstory, plot, or even dialogue to fall back on, the cast had a difficult challenge of keeping things interesting throughout the film’s 89-minute runtime, which they mostly succeeded at.

Sasquatch Sunset Fully Embraces Its Weird Concept & Just Goes With It

Although some viewers may be put off by its strange style, this is also part of its appeal

The lives of these odd creatures are filled with eating, fornicating, sleeping, and relieving their bladders and bowels more times than I can recall witnessing in a single movie-viewing experience. The mundane routine of these Sasquatch involved plenty of scratching their genitals that was periodically intercut with extreme tension and suspense as Mother Nature reared her head and their lives were put in danger due to hungry animals, hazardous rivers, and the unforgiving realities of the forest. While it initially appeared these Sasquatch could be from an earlier era of history, it’s soon revealed they live in our world today.

One of the most impressive aspects of Sasquatch Sunset is the complete transformation of its cast members, as, without knowing in advance, I never could have guessed it was Eisenberg and Keough under their highly realistic and well-presented costumes. Despite their similar appearances, each Sasquatch had a distinct personality, with Keough coming across as a powerful matriarch, and a gentler side to Eisenberg’s character often coming to the forefront. These moments of, dare I say, pure humanity were made even more effective with the arrival of a baby Sasquatch in the latter part of the film.

Executive produced by Ari Aster, Sasquatch Sunset leaned more into the surrealist dark comedy of Beau Is Afraid than the outright shock horror of Hereditary. Although there were moments of terror within the film, these were quickly lightened by its strange sense of humor. The directors were also no strangers to unusual projects as they previously directed episodes of Nathan Fielder’s The Curse and left their unique mark on the Western genre with the black comedy Damsel. The projects’ sense of creativity was carried forward to Sasquatch Sunset, which fully embraced the weird.

The Zellner Brothers Have Created A Divisive Film With Plenty Of Insight

Jesse Eisenberg, Riley Keough, and the entire cast commit entirely to their roles

Sasquatch Sunset walks a fine line between appearing to be about nothing and everything all at once. As the Sasquatch mindlessly eat fruit, play out strange encounters, and even listen to music on a stereo left behind by human campers, there’s this odd feeling the movie has captured something pure about the natural world and humanity’s place in it, but these poignant moments of beauty are quickly juxtaposed with outright defection and unexpected gross-out shots. The tonal shifts of Sasquatch Sunset can be quite jarring, but there’s also this lurking sense that’s the entire point of the movie.

In essence, Sasquatch Sunset feels like the Zellner brothers watched the opening act of 2001: A Space Odyssey and decided to turn it into a feature-length movie. Like 2001: A Space Odyssey, Sasquatch Sunset may be a difficult film for some to get through as its repetitive nature, lack of dialogue, and often graphic imagery will surely turn off plenty if unprepared. However, for those willing to dig deep, there is a lot to be gained from Sasquatch Sunset about what it means to be alive, our connection to nature, and the enduring power of family and resilience.