Set in the lush forests of Northern California, SASQUATCH SUNSET is essentially a 90-minute nature mockumentary about bigfoots (bigfeet?) – without a voiceover, or a single line of dialogue outside of grunts, moans, and groans. It may sound like and be billed as a comedy, but the film itself is maybe more dramatic than you’d expect. Jesse Eisenberg and Riley Keough “star” in the movie, so hidden behind prosthetics and makeup, that it seems it almost seems like a joke. But they are convincing as sasquatches, so I think they more than succeeded in their roles.
I can’t say I’d watch this movie again, but if the premise doesn’t turn you off, I’d highly recommend it. I love that movies like this exist, that push the boundaries of what a feature film can be. I also love that, despite the film’s minimalism and lack of structure, I was still invested in the fates of this family of cryptids, which I’ll credit to the performances, David Zellner’s writing, and his and Nathan Zellner’s directing. Last December, I went to Rwanda to see gorillas in Volcanoes National Park in the northwestern part of the country, and we spent two hours over two days watching our primate cousins eat, sleep, mate, and just live. Watching SASQUATCH SUNSET reminded me of that experience; the film just had more mating (and more defecating).
SASQUATCH SUNSET is now playing in limited theaters.
