SXSW FILM FESTIVAL 2024 REVIEW! From the oddly strange Zellner Brothers, Sasquatch Sunset is a nature documentary that accurately depicts the adventure of a sasquatch family and is verified by what they claim as anthropological experts.
Our story begins at the beginning of spring as we follow the family of Sasquatch, played by Jesse Eisenberg, Riley Keough, Christophe Zajac-Denek, and Nathan Zellner. In the opening moments of the film (and in the trailer), the father and mother, Sasquatch (Eisenberg and Keough), are having sex in the woods with their son and elder (Zajac-Denek and Zellner), looking on. Here, the mother becomes pregnant—a storyline that plays out throughout the film.
We follow the family as they forage for food, interact with nature, and satiate their “urges.” Conflict arises when the elder Sasquatch desperately needs sex and is rebuffed by the mother Sasquatch because she’s not feelin’ in (and gestating). The elder is soon cast out of the clan and forced to satisfy his urge in a different way.
This happens in the film’s first fifteen minutes, and it’s best not to reveal more of the plot. If you’ve seen the trailer, you don’t know the half of the Zellner Brothers’ Sasquatch Summer. I’ll keep the synopsis brief because you need to go into this movie with very little knowledge to enjoy.
“…the elder sasquatch desperately needs sex and is rebuffed by the mother sasquatch…”
First, the broad strokes. Sasquatch Summer is shot like the old nature documentaries that attempt to give basic facts about its animal subjects while forcing a story as the film’s spine. The film is essentially a series of skits involving the Sasquatch in their natural habitat until it morphs into a very adult version of Walt Disney’s Bambi. Yes. Bambi. Don’t get me wrong, but I love these old Disney classic films. The Zellner Brothers have somehow captured the lives of the Sasquatch, which they say is 100% backed up by science.
In terms of the sasquatch behavior, the Zellner brothers push the action and “the line” of decency to its extremes. We’re talking life, death, pee-pees, boobies, sex, and defecation. In other words, if animals do this stuff in the woods, the Sasquatch will do it in the film. I love this kind of comedy, but it’s not for the faint of heart or the purest of virtues. Watch at your own risk.
There is zero dialogue in this film, yet you understand everything perfectly. Props to Jesse Eisenberg, Riley Keough, Christophe Zajac-Denek, and Nathan Zellner for their work in developing their individual characters and making all four appear as if they were family or pack. There’s a great deal of intention in acting like Sasquatch and ensuring it’s not just four actors giving their individual takes on the Sasquatch. The comedy is simply heightened because it attempts so hard to stay grounded, and it works.
The film does have one downside. Because the story essentially follows a Sasquatch family going about their daily lives, the story feels like it has no intuitive direction. In other words, the question of where are we going kept popping up in my head. It’s a bit frustrating not knowing where we are in the story’s timeline. The family’s goal is survival, so random events appear that threaten it.
Sasquatch Sunset is the raunchy film we’ve been waiting for for quite a while. Its setting is beautiful and the perfect juxtaposition for the ensuing antics. I absolutely recommend the Zellner Brother’s new film, and I know you’ll either love it or hate it…passionately.
Sasquatch Sunset screened at the 2024 SXSW Film Festival.
"…the raunchy film we've been waiting for for quite a while."
