“Sasquatch Sunset” is a slice-of-life movie that follows a family of Sasquatch living in the wilderness of Northern California over the course of a year. Viewers at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival had the interesting experience of watching these creatures wander around the forest, hit trees with sticks, forage, fart, and fornicate. To say it wasn’t the typical movie one would hope to see at Sundance would be an understatement.
Jesse Eisenberg and Riley Keough star in this film but you wouldn’t know it by watching. They are hidden under a mound of fur and prosthetics. The only communication in the film is delivered through grunts and yelps. Not a word is spoken for the entire duration.
The film is a tragicomedy that features irreverent humor involving sex, feces, and vomit. There were audible groans of discomfort throughout the 90-minute runtime. Some viewers could not stomach it and departed early. The movie seems to purposefully test the boundaries of what constitutes as comedic. Things that are supposed to provide slapstick humor turn into tragedy, and things that are meant to be taken seriously are turned into a cheap laugh. It leaves one wondering: What was the point?
There are times when “Sasquatch Sunset” genuinely seems close to delivering something meaningful. There are beautiful shots of nature throughout. Time and effort are put into making this film appear like a nature documentary. At points one is drawn emotionally into these ridiculous creatures’ struggles. Then one of them suddenly does something absurd that causes laughs and groans; and whatever meaning was there quickly vanishes.
It is off-putting and unconventional, and maybe that is the point. Whatever expectations one may have when going into this film, they will be left reeling, considering whether what they watched was artistic or a waste of time. Whatever the Zellners may have been attempting to accomplish, they have at the very least started a conversation and left an impression; whether it is a favorable one is up for debate.
