Film Review: Sasquatch Sunset

5 Stars

By Joseph Beyer | Sept. 14, 2024

It should come as no surprise that one of the most fascinating films of the year comes from one of the most fascinating filmmaking duos working today. In Sasquatch Sunset, a riveting portrayal of the hidden world of the elusive Bigfoot and their last days of existence, the multi-hyphenated creatives known as The Zellner Bros. have achieved a new level of artistry.

Known across film festival circuits and arthouses for their distinct short films and features (Kid Thing and Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter most recently), Nathan and David Zellner are masters of absurd humor and capturing quirky moments of humanity. The brothers have taken those talents and applied them beautifully into creating a storyworld where the only “dialogue” is the visceral grunting of the Sasquatch language, and yet the audience can understand every nuance of meaning and feel every ounce of emotion imaginable.

It wouldn’t be possible without the truly remarkable performances from some famous faces you may never recognize thanks to Steve Newburn’s fabulous creature designs, which bring each one of them to life so completely as to become a total transformation. Every actor in the small, tight-knit story of a Sasquatch clan on their annual migration is wonderful, but together their performances create an ever bigger accomplishment in creating emotional bonds and dynamics on-screen that everyone can relate to.

The story begins in hypnotic vérité as we follow this Sasquatch family through the joys and terrors of life, organized in seasons and interludes over the course of a year (a year that may be the last for this elusive species). In the beginning of the film, it feels as if we’re in the ancient world of deep time and primitivity. But as the migration of the Sasquatch family continues, we finally realize the real threat to their existence is Man/Us.

In one of the film’s most potent touches, we never see a human character on-screen, but instead the audience is forced to feel the same mysterious dread and fear the Sasquatch do in suddenly struggling to understand a world filled with new dangers and realizing they may be alone.

If it all sounds a bit philosophical, it is (and you’ll love it) but it’s also endlessly entertaining and genuinely hilarious too. Using a combination of sly nods to Bigfoot mythology and memes with physical comedy that treats sex drive and every bodily function with the absurdity they deserve, Sasquatch Sunset will have you laughing as much as it will have you on the edge of your emotional seat.

Every performance in the four-ape ensemble is wonderful. From writer and co-director David Zellner as the patriarchal Alpha Male, to Christophe Zajac-Denek as his imaginative Child longing to grow up, to the revelation of Jesse Eisenberg as the adolescent Male on the edge of puberty and possibilities.

But it’s actress Riley Keough as the Female and mother Sasquatch that gives the story its most profound heart, as she carries the weight and sadness of protecting her species from extinction. Both Eisenberg and Keough serve as producers on the project, and Keogh is also featured in the mesmerizing score from The Octopus Project.

The accomplishment of creating a film that is simultaneously the funniest and most serious Sasquatch story you’ve ever seen can’t be underestimated, and it all culminates in an ending so perfect it would be criminal to reveal and spoil it.

Years in the making and fueled by the Zellners’ lifelong fascination with the mythology of the Sasquatch, the risks the film takes pay off with an undeniably original and unique experience, one that should leave you more intrigued and hopeful than ever that these creatures are still out there.

Rated R and running 1 hour and 28 minutes, Sasquatch Sunset is currently streaming on Paramount+ and on-demand through Amazon Prime.