Sasquatch Sunset

Almost uniquely odd, "Sasquatch Sunset" won't appeal to all. Jesse Eisenberg, Riley Keough, Christophe Zajac-Denek & Nathan Zellner (unrecognisable all under heavy & impressive prosthetics) are a family of sasquatch (aka bigfoot and/or yeti) seen roaming the Californian jungles over a year in the '80s. The screenplay (from David Zellner - who co-directed with brother Nathan) is divided into the four seasons, thru which the four forage, fish, re-produce, and curiously react to their surroundings. Having no narration it's not a mockumentary, but also with no dialogue (except grunts etc) it won't easily engage everyone, despite being interesting & relatively well made.

Been looking forward to this for a while!

Definitely one of the most unique and among the most wierdest films i have ever watched in my life. And the wierd thing is that i can't describe it if its good (and actually in some ways artistic), serious or more like a parody comedy.

It's extremely well acted, must have been very difficult to act like this, but at the same time some scenes is way too much and makes it look like a parody. In some ways its primitive realistic and humorous as a follow up. The masks and make up is very well made.

I think its the first film ive watched where theres no spoken dialogue which makes is more realistic.

Filming is definitely very good.

Something uou havent ever seen before. Brings the concept of the mysterious Big Foots, to a whole new perspective and meaning.

It definitely has something i like, but more difficult to explain what it is.

Its not good, but it isn't bad.

So wasn't the biggest fan for how the storyline turned out, but living my whole life in the PNW in a very small town (carbonado, wa to be exact) and see how the wildlife and us blue collar folks are being pushed out by the gentrifies and big corps, so I can relate to how the Sasquatch felt. My husband and I are losing our home this month due to gentrification of a gouse we've lived for over 10 years so yeah. This def stuck a cord no matter how corny the movie it was itself at times. I would still recommend this movie to anyone with an open mind to a movie with almost no dialogue. It really does have a hidden message to it (especially if you're like me and having to move out of your home town after 30 years due to gentrification)

Sasquatch Sunset starts off as a laugh riot. For the first hour, the Zellner brothers deliver a surprisingly hilarious portrayal of a Sasquatch family navigating the trials and tribulations of...well, Sasquatch life. From their hilariously primal attempts at courtship to their unrefined digestive habits, the film finds humor in the unexpected, and anyone with a decent sense of humor will find themselves snorting with laughter.

Then, the sun inexplicably sets on the comedy. The light-hearted mood takes a sharp turn in the second half, venturing into surprisingly serious territory. Themes of life, death, and the struggle for survival come crashing in, leaving the audience with a gut punch where there were once guffaws. Here's the problem: the tonal shift feels unearned. Sasquatch Sunset spends so much time establishing itself as an absurdist comedy that the sudden seriousness feels jarring, like two entirely different movies stitched together.

It's a shame. The first hour is pure comedic gold, and the Zellner brothers deserve credit for their audacious premise. But the jarring shift into somber territory leaves the viewer feeling cheated. It's like being promised a cupcake and then getting served a bowl of lukewarm broccoli instead. If you're looking for a laugh-out-loud comedy, you'll have a blast with the first half of Sasquatch Sunset. Just be prepared for the unexpected emotional downpour in the final act.

It's possible to see "Sasquatch Sunset" at an almost anthropological level, with four humanoid creatures in a series of scenes with them eating, fornicating, walking, defecating, sleeping, etc. That could be boring.

But start with the early scene of two of them chewing on grasses in an alpine meadow-- and think of it as breakfast. This is the start of their day. After that you're watching what their daily life is like, and it is familiar. Soon an interstitial title appears, "Spring," and the time scale has opened to a year. Eventually, you stop thinking about the timeline and start thinking about the fragility of existence.

There is no backstory, but the quartet is taken to be the last of their species-- and they know it. They have a signal to call for help: banging a fallen branch against a tree trunk in a series of four distinct sounds that echo through the forest. It tells us that they were once part of a clan, and a tribe, members of whom have died in the recent past. Perhaps there were five Sasquatch a year ago, or ten. Every death brings them closer to extinction, and every time their SOS isn't answered, it's a reminder that they are alone.

The movie is brilliantly structured, with credible costuming, able performances, and a score that pretty successfully mixes folk and New Age-y forms.

But my favorite parts have to do with the glimmers of intelligence and progress. We see nascent engineering skills when a log traps one of them. One member has the urge to count things, but without numbers he has trouble keeping track past two or three. At one point he holds a fossil or rock that petrified into rows of ripples, interrupted in the middle by a dark horizontal flaw. He begins counting down from the flaw, struggling to find a way to keep track, and you realize that someday he may notice there are ripples both above and below the flaw, which will require negative numbers.

But the best scene, by far, is when they happen upon a road in their forest. Do your brain a favor; see the movie.