Films for Breakfast

How does one even review Sasquatch Sunset? Let alone describe it? The basic gist of the film is that it’s centered on a family of Sasquatches who reside in the misty forests of North America. Throughout the film, you see this family go through trials and tribulations of simply trying to survive and live together; just instead of where most movies have the familial drama steeped within relationships or external, everyday issues they’re facing, Sasquatch Sunset finds our characters getting into so many different hijinks. I’d describe what all they get up to, but I feel like half of the fun of the film is simply going along for the ride with it and seeing all the wild directions it has the audacity to take.

So, yes, I can describe in detail the “plot” of the film and what happens in it – but that largely also doesn’t seem to be the point of a film completely void of dialogue and reliant on the actions (and a whole lot of grunting) from these characters. The film stars Jesse Eisenberg, Riley Keough, Nathan Zellner, and Christopher Zajac-Denek as the family of Sasquatches, and while none of these actors actually get to perform in a traditional sense, the fantastic makeup and costume design at hand perfectly pave way for their facial performances to shine through. Against all odds, emotion is strongly conveyed from these actors despite not having any lines of dialogue and you can feel the familial dynamic quite strongly.

There are two distinct sides to Sasquatch Sunset – one is the absurdist side of the film, which worked pretty well for me. The film takes full advantage of the comedic opportunities that can arise from a set of characters that not only can’t talk but convey emotion via grunting, screaming, fighting, throwing, defecating, having intercourse, etc. There are so many seemingly cheap laughs in the film where the characters do something so incredibly primal and juvenile that it feels like the lowest hanging fruit, but on the other hand, I laughed pretty hard fairly consistently. I see nothing wrong juvenile humor when it’s executed well, and Sasquatch Sunset more than justifies it and follows through on it.

On the other side of the coin, the film is surprisingly emotional and poignant; by the time the film reaches its third act, I was taken aback by how existential it was seemingly getting and found myself appreciating the film more and more with each new layer it was revealing to me. The film is directed by David and Nathan Zellner, who previously directing an equally impressive and ambitious film called Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter back in 2014 – this feels not only completely unlike Kumiko, but also unlike any other film I’ve seen in my life. It’s not uncommon to find a film with unusual leading characters that becomes surprisingly vulnerable and emotionally charged by the end, but considering how simplistic and slapstick the humor is, I’d say that the drama really sneaks up on you here and never feels forced. From a filmmaking perspective, I think that’s incredibly impressive.

So many technical and artistic components help this film feel as authentic as it is, from the aforementioned fantastic costume and makeup design, to the incredible and wondrous score from The Octopus Project, to the gorgeous cinematography from Mike Giolakis; everything at play here amounts to a film that feels like it should never work at any point, but ultimately finds a way to feel so incredibly original and emotional in the most unexpected ways. Despite somewhat of a slow start on my end where I had to become accustomed to the films tone and style, I found Sasquatch Sunset to be a gorgeous film with so many unexpected layers. It might not work for everybody that gives it a chance, but it will undoubtedly eventually find a following that can see the beauty underneath all the hair and scruff.

4/5