Sasquatch Sunset Review

A weirdly touching time in the woods

Sasquatch Sunset is the most disgusting and beautiful film I've seen all year. I was gagging at some of the fluids I saw excreted on the screen, but a few minutes later, the combination of the nature shots and the incredible score almost brought me to tears. Sasquatch Sunset is brash and purposely off-putting. It's gross sex, poop, and pee jokes will grow old quickly for many like it did for me. I think the touching performances by these actors in giant sasquatch suits and just seeing a director's vision put to a screen like this is inspiring. I'm thrilled this is in major theaters because of how strange a film it is, and I think it's cool to see a different take on preserving our environment.

This surreal comedy follows a family of Sasquatches over a year while they encounter sex, death, hormones, other wooden creatures, and the impact of human society. The cast includes heavy hitters like Jesse Eisenberg and Riley Kough, as well as the film's directors, Nathan Zeller and Christophe Zajac-Denek. Although they are completely unrecognizable in their missing link outfits, it's so cool to see each of the sasquatch's distinct personalities shine through their physical performance. We can feel the rage, horniness, grief, and more through their mannerisms and facial expressions. Such incredible emotion is done so subtly.

The comedy here worked for me for the most part. The sex and gross gags and having the creatures of the woods look blankly on at these humanoids while it happened was quite good! The problem is that it became rather one note after the first half hour. If this slapstick and raunchy type of humor is your thing, I think you'll have a blast, but for me, it fell off halfway through the film. The more endearing parts between the Sasquatch family and the care they had for each other were some of the most human stuff I have seen this year! 

What makes Sasquatch Sunset work is its incredible score, which is complemented by lovely guitar pieces that scratch that part of my brain that I can't explain, as well as sweeping shots of the Northern California forest. I think the darker elements of death and humanity's impact on the environment also work for me. In several of the more thrilling instances in the film, I couldn't even breathe, and the reaction and their relief or grief made it for me. 

I don't have more to say about this film aside from that I'm so happy it exists! Did the dick and vagina jokes get old quickly? Sure. I think the nature photography and touching moments of the Sasquatch family will have a lasting impact on this film, along with some gross fluids flowing all over the screen and the devastating destruction humans have caused our earth. Sasquatch Sunset is one of the most humane films of the year for a movie that includes zero humans. 

Final Score: 7/10

Written by Kevin J. Pettit