Every year, there always seems to be one film that makes people incredulously uncomfortable with the incorporation of bodily fluids. In 2016, it was Swiss Army Man, whose sophomoric content was put on blast so vigorously that the film almost never got released. The fact that the film’s directors, the Daniels, are now Oscar winners should tell you everything you need to know about the borderline slander these deceptively insightful films are forced to endure.
Earlier this year, the rotation began yet again, this time for brothers Nathan and David Zellner. They caused a ruckus at Sundance with Sasquatch Sunset, whose content was kept under wraps until a bombastic premiere screening that was similarly publicized and, like a female bigfoot’s breast being sucked by her child, milked for all it was worth. Yes, that is but one of the many images audiences “endured” during the film, which follows a year in the life of a sasquatch clan traversing the redwoods of Northern California; another image included two sasquatches going doggy style in a forest, and that’s just within the opening few minutes.
Credit: Bleecker Street
As certain audience members balked at the Zellners’ hairy protagonists— who boil down to more humanoid primates a la 2001 in execution — pursue their most basic needs on the outskirts of modern society (eating, sleeping, sh*tting, and f**king, amongst others), some were quick to walk out. If they did, they likely missed the other things they did together: play together, protect each other, fight with one another. In other words: they’re a family, just as human as you or I. The only difference is that their primordial evolution comes without one essential component: shame.
This lack of judgment is imbued into every piece of the Zellners’ vision; Sasquatch Sunset appears to be a creative experiment in makeup and performance art, but it is actually a deeply life-affirming and extraordinary family comedy about learning to evolve alongside both the natural world and each other. Anyone who can’t withstand the light shock of bodily fluids amidst this gorgeously rendered journey through the redwoods is literally missing the forest for the trees. By committing to portraying creatures with life’s most basic needs, the Zellners simultaneously strip storytelling down to its bare essentials and get at the heart of what connects every living creature.
Credit: Bleecker Street
The film’s piece de resistance is, of course, Steve Newburn’s remarkable creature design, which utilizes full-body hair, makeup, and prosthetics to fully obscure its actors as sasquatches. Movie stars Jesse Eisenberg and Riley Keough are completely unrecognizable, which allows audiences to dissociate any preconceived relationship they have with them and simply witness them as animals. That said, Newburn’s work toes the line between cinematic illusion and theatrical performance; you never quite believe these are real animals, yet you are never quite convinced they aren’t. Though the suits are enough to suspend disbelief, the characters’ emotions shine through the prosthetics to remind you that these bigfoots are still deeply human.
What may catch audiences off-guard the most about Sasquatch Sunset is a reverence for its own setting. Cinematographer Mike Gioulakis’ stunning forest vistas and vast landscapes immediately comfort audiences with an air of Americana. The sasquatches also interact with several other woodland creatures, from an innocuous porcupine to a threatening mountain lion, all of which are portrayed without an ounce of CGI. As short and sweet as these moments can feel, they work wonders in immersing the protagonists as part of Earth’s ecosystem. When combined with a marvelously ambient score from The Octopus Project, all of these images add grace and majesty to a film that could have easily exploited silliness.
Credit: Bleecker Street
Though some will be quick to call this film a farcical take on the nature documentary, the Zellners’ subjective and patient storytelling alludes to themes far grander than any episode of Planet Earth: overconsumption, commercialization, climate disaster, and even things as esoteric as immortality. All of this is weighed against plenty of goofy moments, but the most exciting stories balance this scale and the best ones do it with expert precision. The very courage to attempt such a feat with a plot that could easily be exploited for silliness shows the depth of the Zellners’ talents as directors and proves critic Roger Ebert’s long-held belief that any idea can make for a great story; you just need the right people to tell it. It’s clear the Zellners were the only ones who could make Sasquatch Sunset and the world is all the better for it.
Sasquatch Sunset had its Texas Premiere at SXSW 2024 in the Festival Favorite section. The film will be released in select theaters on April 12, 2024, before a wide release on April 19, courtesy of Bleecker Street.
Directors: David Zellner, Nathan Zellner
Screenwriter: David Zellner
Rated: R
Runtime: 89m
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgfkthLpeXw]
Anchored by a sincerity in its drama and commitment to portraying its subjects faithfully, the Zellners’ take an otherwise silly idea and turn it into a life-affirming family comedy.
-
GVN Rating
Larry Fried is a filmmaker, writer, and podcaster based in New Jersey. He is the host and creator of the podcast “My Favorite Movie is…,” a podcast dedicated to helping filmmakers make somebody’s next favorite movie. He is also the Visual Content Manager for Special Olympics New Jersey, an organization dedicated to competition and training opportunities for athletes with intellectual disabilities across the Garden State.
