Sasquatch Among Wildmen

Darcy Weir’s Sasquatch Among Wildmen is a documentary exploring more than just claims and sightings of Bigfoot and its ilk. See, Weir is interested in getting into what sort of creatures these cryptozoological wonders actually are. To that end, hunters, tourists, hikers, and the usual suspects all the world over are interviewed, replete with grainy and dark footage that shows something vaguely furry looking.

Experts on human anatomy, DNA, and primates are often cited or directly on camera to discuss human evolution. The theory being that these hominids are an offshoot of human evolution that, due to their habitats, continued to evolve, but in an entirely different way than homo sapiens. It is a fascinating premise, and since I am not a believer in cryptozoological animals, one that is new to me. So, can the writer-director turn this angle into a must watch film?

Not quite, but Sasquatch Among Wildmen is certainly engaging enough to merit a recommendation, especially if one does believe in cryptids. It is a traditional talking head/archival footage documentary, which does mean that it gets repetitive. Each time a new piece of evidence is brought further by an interviewee, it receives the same detailed breakdown as all the other evidence. At a certain point, all the footprints, footage, and what have you melds together. If you ask me which footprint was from the Chinese man interviewed late in the film versus the first one presented to us, I couldn’t do it. We’ve seen footage and material like this before, and very little new is offered up in that regard.

“…these hominids are an offshoot of human evolution that, due to their habitats, continued to evolve, but in an entirely different way…”

But, the subjects are all articulate and lively interviewees. One of them opines that you can’t label something as “sasquatch” unless you absolutely know that it is because looking to label everything as such dilutes your research and hampers the real evidence of these creatures’ existence. This logic and dedication to preserving the integrity of the research propels their case to quite respectable heights.

Plus, the evolution angle, in that yetis are an offshoot of humans from eons ago (my words), provides an engaging platform for Sasquatch Among Wildmen to jump between history, science, and cryptozoological studies. This comparison raises the whole production above the typical MonsterQuest or Finding Bigfoot fare. So, despite the usual suspects being assembled and presenting the same kind of evidence as always, there’s more to it than just that.

Sasquatch Among Wildmen will not change anybody’s mind about the existence of the Bigfoot, yetis, etc. But, its focus on the history of human evolution and credible research makes it that much more difficult to discount what is out there and that matters. If you already believe, this documentary might give you a few new talking points. If you’re skeptical, it is well-made and short enough not to waste your time.