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| Images courtesy of Bleecker Street |
Sasquatch Sunset (2024) will likely split audiences down the middle, as its absurdist approach and occasionally shocking humor might alienate some folks. It's a hard movie to market; there is no dialogue, the narrative is freeform, and the actors are unrecognizable in their costumes and makeup. Those who resonate on its wavelength will find much to love, but underneath its surreal toilet humor, it has a soft affection for the furry humanoids.
The film follows four sasquatches over four seasons as they wander the forests of northern California. These could be the last of their kind, and as they forge forward looking for food and shelter, they occasionally stop to drum on trees and logs, looking for signs of fellow sasquatch tribes. However, their signals are met with silence, and they have to rely on each other to survive the harsh wilderness. If one has seen nature documentaries, it will feel similar, as the camera quietly follows the creatures on their daily activities, from mating to their strange esoteric customs. Since the sasquatches reside in a liminal space between fully human and animal, it can feel uncomfortable watching their habits and it evokes a feeling of the uncanny valley. Though they are ape-like in appearance, their eyes are human and expressive, which helps convey their emotions with the absence of dialogue.
Jesse Eisenberg, Riley Keough, Christophe Zajac-Denek, and Nathan Zellner play the sasquatches; their physical performances are equally hilarious and poignant. There is a hierarchy within the tiny tribe, and with only one female, it causes some friction. This film doesn't shy away from depicting the fundamental nature of animals; we see them having sex and defecating, and the male sasquatch have their genitalia on full display, swinging free in the mild California winds. While some of these ideas are played for laughs, there are moments of horror and sadness, as nature still adheres to "survival of the fittest," and deadly situations can and do occur.
At the edges of the narrative is a theme of environmental conservation, as the impact of humans is seen throughout the forest. Ironically, humans are as elusive to the sasquatch as they are to us, seen only as physical remnants and damage to the flora and fauna. In the few moments where the sasquatches come into contact with the work of humans, they are seized with abject terror, as if they innately know that we are the apex predator on the earth. They also have brushes with our beauty, experiencing things like music and junk food and transcending, if only for a moment. We are a species of extremes, after all.
Visually, Sasquatch Sunset is beautifully shot and takes full advantage of the gorgeous scenery. It isn't afraid to utilize epic wide shots, but it is equally comfortable in close-ups, making the viewer feel like they have an intimate voyeuristic connection with the sasquatches. The makeup and costumes are outstanding, allowing the actors to disappear into their roles and become the sasquatch.
Sasquatch Sunset isn't for everyone, but it deserves respect for fully committing to an outlandish concept and going with it. Maybe by watching these majestic (and a tiny bit stupid) creatures, we can learn something about ourselves in the process.
--Michelle Kisner