Sasquatch Sunset
Reviews
Brent Marchant
Movies that provide us with an inside look at the lives of communities different from our own can show us just how much alike – and not alike – the constituencies of those cultures truly are from our own. It’s especially intriguing when such films cross species lines, examining societies of beings different from ourselves, an undertaking tackled in the latest project from the acting-writing-directing duo of David and Nathan Zellner. Known for such offbeat releases as “The Art of Self-Defense” (2019) and “Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter” (2014), this time out the filmmaking siblings present a documentary-style look at a year in the lives of a bigfoot family of four inhabiting the forests of Northern California. The camera follows them through a variety of everyday situations not unlike what we as humans go through, only in a totally different milieu. The film features an array of comedic and dramatic circumstances to which we can all undoubtedly relate, often on a very “earthy,” unrestrained level, involving activities in which we all engage but rarely talk about. Told in four acts, this release beautifully captures their experience of life in the woods, with exquisite visuals of Northwestern landscapes and diverse forest wildlife, along with curious, entirely natural expressions of individuals discovering the myriad elements of a world that they have come to believe is their own. But is it? As they come upon scenarios that are anomalous from what they have typically known, they must learn to adapt when evidence emerges that their world could be drastically changing – even vanishing – before their very eyes. In that sense, then, the film quietly delivers a strong environmental message (aptly timed for an Earth Day release) that we should heed in light of the unsettling experience of this picture’s unique protagonists. While the film’s sequences at times become somewhat repetitive and feature more than their share of undoubtedly base humor, this offering is nevertheless entertaining, clever and thought-provoking, enhanced by its stunning cinematography, emotive original score, and stellar makeup and prosthetics. Despite these assets, however, some have dismissively and capriciously compared this production to an extended Saturday Night Live sketch or a parody of the opening sequence of Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey” (1968). But those analogies unfairly sell this one short as a vehicle that will simultaneously make viewers both laugh and think. With an economical 1:28:00 runtime and a fine cast of actors portraying the quartet of uncannily prescient primates (Jesse Eisenberg, Riley Keough, Nathan Zellner, Christophe Zajac-Denek), “Sasquatch Sunset” makes an intriguing watch, provided that viewers give it a fair shake. Indeed, if we’re ever to reach a new level of understanding about those who are different from us and with whom we share this world, not to mention the impact we have on one another, we should make an effort to grasp what this offering is trying to tell us – while we still have the time to do so for both of us.
Louisa Moore - Screen Zealots
As a fan of the filmmaking brothers David and Nathan Zellner and their offbeat brand of humor and awkward storytelling style, I had much higher hopes for “Sasquatch Sunset” than I guess I should have. Disappointingly unfunny and too reliant on gross-out gags, this weird movie about the antics of a bigfoot family is a massive misfire on every level. This absurdist film is set up like a bad nature documentary, a strictly observational look at a year in the life of a sasquatch clan. There’s the alpha (Nathan Zellner), the female (Riley Keough), the male (Jesse Eisenberg), and the child (Christophe Zajac-Denek), and their existence is not all that interesting. They forage for food and explore the forest around them, with lots of sniffing, barking, farting, defecating, and scratching along the way. Even a fictional look at the day-to-day routine of a sasquatch brood quickly wears thin. Perhaps if the Zellners had gone with a more traditional mockumentary route, the movie wouldn’t feel so sluggish. There’s only so much the talented indie cast can do when their dialogue amounts to nothing more than a series of barks and grunts. Buried under layers of fur and makeup, the roles demand a lot of physicality, which would’ve worked far better with more slapstick gags. The script feels like it was written by 14 year old boys who wanted to include every single poop, pee, and sex joke they could dream up. It also isn’t a good sign that the majority of the time I was questioning whether or not something was supposed to be funny, as it was all so unclear. I do know one thing that was crystal, however: I never laughed. I found nothing to be humorous, just weird and gross (and for the Zellners, that’s saying something). The interesting thing about all of this is that while the movie isn’t compelling, I was still invested in the outcome. I wanted to know what happened to each of the creatures, even if their eventual fate is a bit of a letdown. The film teeters on the verge of being a total train wreck, yet I couldn’t seem to tear myself away. It’s not bad enough to walk out of, but it’s also not good enough nor enjoyable enough to recommend, which leaves “Sasquatch Sunset” in niche film purgatory. It begs the question, “who is the audience for this?“ By: Louisa Moore / SCREEN ZEALOTS
Movie Recommendation
An American in Paris1951-09-26Jerry Mulligan is an exuberant American expatriate in Paris trying to make a reputation as a painter. His friend Adam is a struggling concert pianist who's a long time associate of a famous French singer, Henri Baurel. A lonely society woman, Milo Roberts, takes Jerry under her wing and supports him, but is interested in more than his art.More...
Lazareth2024-05-10Lee is an aunt whose life mission is to protect her orphaned nieces, Imogen and Maeve, from a self-destructing world, raising them in isolation until an outsider threatens their peaceful existence.More...
Outstanding: A Comedy Revolution2024-06-07This rapturous documentary steps into the dynamic world of queer stand-up and examines the powerful cultural influence it has had on social change in America. The film combines rare archival materials, stand-up performances, and interviews with a show-stopping lineup to present a definitive history of queer comedy.More...
Trigger Warning2024-06-20A Special Forces commando uncovers a dangerous conspiracy when she returns to her hometown looking for answers into her beloved father's death.More...
Just Friends2005-11-23While visiting his hometown during Christmas, a man comes face-to-face with his old high school crush whom he was best friends with – a woman whose rejection of him turned him into a ferocious womanizer.More...
Boy Kills World2024-04-24When his family is murdered, a deaf-mute named Boy escapes to the jungle and is trained by a mysterious shaman to repress his childish imagination and become an instrument of death.More...
The Watchers2024-06-06A young artist gets stranded in an extensive, immaculate forest in western Ireland, where, after finding shelter, she becomes trapped alongside three strangers, stalked by mysterious creatures each night.More...
The Gorge2025-02-13Two highly trained operatives grow close from a distance after being sent to guard opposite sides of a mysterious gorge. When an evil below emerges, they must work together to survive what lies within.More...
Civil War2024-04-10In the near future, a group of war journalists attempt to survive while reporting the truth as the United States stands on the brink of civil war.More...
The Grand Budapest Hotel2014-02-26The Grand Budapest Hotel tells of a legendary concierge at a famous European hotel between the wars and his friendship with a young employee who becomes his trusted protégé. The story involves the theft and recovery of a priceless Renaissance painting, the battle for an enormous family fortune and the slow and then sudden upheavals that transformed Europe during the first half of the 20th century.More...
Parasite2019-05-30All unemployed, Ki-taek's family takes peculiar interest in the wealthy and glamorous Parks for their livelihood until they get entangled in an unexpected incident.More...
Rear Window1954-08-01A wheelchair-bound photographer spies on his neighbors from his apartment window and becomes convinced one of them has committed murder.More...
Barbie2023-07-19Barbie and Ken are having the time of their lives in the colorful and seemingly perfect world of Barbie Land. However, when they get a chance to go to the real world, they soon discover the joys and perils of living among humans.More...
Marriage Story2019-09-28A stage director and an actress struggle through a grueling, coast-to-coast divorce that pushes them to their personal extremes.More...
Joker2019-10-01During the 1980s, a failed stand-up comedian is driven insane and turns to a life of crime and chaos in Gotham City while becoming an infamous psychopathic crime figure.More...
Oppenheimer2023-07-19The story of J. Robert Oppenheimer's role in the development of the atomic bomb during World War II.More...
No Way Up2024-01-18Characters from different backgrounds are thrown together when the plane they're travelling on crashes into the Pacific Ocean. A nightmare fight for survival ensues with the air supply running out and dangers creeping in from all sides.More...
A Quiet Place2018-04-03A family is forced to live in silence while hiding from creatures that hunt by sound.More...
Poor Things2023-12-07Brought back to life by an unorthodox scientist, a young woman runs off with a lawyer on a whirlwind adventure across the continents. Free from the prejudices of her times, she grows steadfast in her purpose to stand for equality and liberation.More...
Old2021-07-21A group of families on a tropical holiday discover that the secluded beach where they are staying is somehow causing them to age rapidly – reducing their entire lives into a single day.More...
Similar Movies
Speed Racer
2008-05-07Speed Racer is a young and brilliant racing driver. When corruption in the racing leagues costs his brother his life, Speed must team up with the police and the mysterious Racer X to bring an end to the corruption and criminal activities.Striptease
1996-06-28Bounced from her job, Erin Grant needs money if she's to have any chance of winning back custody of her child. But, eventually, she must confront the naked truth: to take on the system, she'll have to take it all off. Erin strips to conquer, but she faces unintended circumstances when a hound dog of a Congressman zeroes in on her and sharpens the shady tools at his fingertips, including blackmail and murder.Barnyard
2006-08-04When the farmer's away, all the animals play, and sing, and dance. Eventually, though, someone has to step in and run things, a responsibility that ends up going to Otis, a carefree cow.Down and Out in Bever...
1986-01-31Beverly Hills couple Barbara and Dave Whiteman find their lives altered by the arrival of a vagrant who tries to drown himself in their swimming pool.Air Buddies
2006-12-12The offspring of sportsman canine Air Bud: B-Dawg, Mudbud, Budderball, Buddha, and Rosebud, uncover a kidnapping plot motivated by a little rich boy's desire to have the world's most athletic dog as a pet.Curious George
2006-02-10When The Man in the Yellow Hat befriends Curious George in the jungle, they set off on a non-stop, fun-filled journey through the wonders of the big city toward the warmth of true friendship.Charlotte's Web
2006-12-07Wilbur the pig is scared of the end of the season, because he knows that come that time, he will end up on the dinner table. He hatches a plan with Charlotte, a spider that lives in his pen, to ensure that this will never happen.Arthur and the Invisi...
2006-12-13Arthur is a spirited ten-year old whose parents are away looking for work, whose eccentric grandfather has been missing for several years, and who lives with his grandmother in a country house that, in two days, will be repossessed, torn down, and turned into a block of flats unless Arthur's grandfather returns to sign some papers and pay off the family debt. Arthur discovers that the key to success lies in his own descent into the land of the Minimoys, creatures no larger than a tooth, whom his grandfather helped relocate to their garden. Somewhere among them is hidden a pile of rubies, too. Can Arthur be of stout heart and save the day? Romance beckons as well, and a villain lurks.The Pacifier
2005-03-04Navy SEAL Shane Wolfe is handed a new assignment: Protect the five Plummer kids from enemies of their recently deceased father -- a government scientist whose top-secret experiment remains hidden in the kids' house.The Shaggy Dog
2006-03-09The tale of a workaholic dad-turned-dog who finds that being man's best friend shows him the most important job - being a great dad.Wolfwalkers
2020-10-26In a time of superstition and magic, when wolves are seen as demonic and nature an evil to be tamed, a young apprentice hunter comes to Ireland with her father to wipe out the last pack. But when she saves a wild native girl, their friendship leads her to discover the world of the Wolfwalkers and transform her into the very thing her father is tasked to destroy.The Blood in the Vein...
2021-05-16Simon and Zoé meet on Tinder. They live in the same suburban town and Zoé, wasting no time, invites him right over to her house. Simon can’t believe his luck! But once he arrives, he quickly understands that his date may prove more complicated than expected.Out of Time
2000-05-17A man awakwens after sleeping for 20 years to find that his small local town has changed for the worse.This Side of Heaven
1934-02-02A family man becomes innocently involved in an embezzlement.Remember Me?
1997-01-02A domestic farce exposes the eccentricities of a "typical" middle class, suburban family who find their lives thrown into a crisis with the unexpected arrival of one of the wife's old flames.Pokémon 3: The Movie
2000-07-08When the sadness of her father's disappearance gets to Molly Hale, she unknowingly uses the Unown to create her own dream world along with Entei, who she believes to be her father. When Entei kidnaps Ash's mother, Ash — alongside Misty and Brock — invade the mansion looking for his mom and trying to stop the mysteries of Molly's Dream World and Entei!Stuart Little 2
2002-07-19Stuart, an adorable white mouse, still lives happily with his adoptive family, the Littles, on the east side of Manhattan's Central Park. More crazy mouse adventures are in store as Stuart, his human brother, George, and their mischievous cat, Snowbell, set out to rescue a friend.Ri¢hie Ri¢h
1994-12-19Billionaire heir Richie Rich has it all, including Reggie Jackson as a batting coach and Claudia Schiffer as a personal trainer -- but no playmates. What's more, scoundrel Laurence Van Dough is scheming to take over the family empire. Uh-oh! Enter faithful butler Cadbury to save the day.Look Who's Talking To...
1990-12-14Mollie and James are together and raising a family, which now consists of an older Mikey and his baby sister, Julie. Tension between the siblings arises, and as well with Mollie and James when Mollie's brother Stuart moves in. Mikey is also learning how to use the toilet for the first time.Eat Drink Man Woman
1994-08-03Retired and widowed Chinese master chef Chu lives in modern day Taipei, with his three attractive daughters, all of whom are unattached. Soon, each daughter encounters a new man in their lives. When these new relationships blossom, stereotypes are broken and the living situation within the family changes.