Sasquatch Sunset (2024)

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Those who believe that Sasquatches really exist claim the creature’s main mode of survival is the ability to ingeniously remain undetected by humans indefinitely. Apparently, true believers haven’t met the quartet at the center of Sasquatch Sunset, who may not get spotted by mankind but not for a lack of trying. These ape-like humanoids never actually encounter people but after stumbling upon evidence of their existence, the Sasquatches eat the human’s candy, listen to their boomboxes, and pee on their roads and living arrangements — not a great strategy for being discreet.

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Directed by brothers David and Nathan Zellner (only David gets screenwriting credit), the dark dramedy follows four Sasquatches through the Pacific Northwest over the course of one year. During that time, the creatures experience great moments of happiness, loneliness, sadness, and everything in between. Despite being played by a couple of A-listers (notably Riley Keough and Jesse Eisenberg) in downright impressive makeup, the characters simply grunt, snort, and yell throughout the movie. Nothing is actually spoken and it takes half the film to figure out who’s playing whom.

While it might be easy to read too much into Sasquatch Sunset, it’s ultimately a simple film about the human condition told through the lens of a creature that’s equally human and beast — the very link between us and nature. In some ways, these sasquatches are better than us (e.g., their care and appreciation for Mother Earth) and in other ways, they are worse (e.g., their instinctive response to defecate on things that confuse them).

However, the most pensive thoughts come from moments that show the ways in which man and beast are very much the same. Just like us, the Sasquatches have animalistic responses towards the opposite sex and yet feel very deeply when they hear music for the first time, with varying degrees of self-control in both instances. (As opposed to a normal person who would bob his head to a rhythmic melody, the creatures become entranced as tears involuntarily roll down their faces.) Lust, greed, passion, and love are all displayed as ways to further the parallel between man and nature. However, the comparison becomes moot when we realize that sasquatches don’t actually exist and that they actually represent neither man nor nature.

Fortunately, we can glean useful messages from the story as well. What starts as an allegory on toxic masculinity becomes more of a cautionary tale than anything else. Obfuscated by centering on a mythological creature, this theme luckily integrates itself into the whole picture as we see both the positive and negative effects of not having a male around. You may lose aggression and horniness but you also lose strength and protection.

Even before I realized he was an executive producer on the project, I felt strong touches of Ari Aster’s high-brow-meets-low-brow tone here. Picturesque tableaux from Michael Gioulakis is juxtaposed with Sasquatches angry-pooping onto a highway. Both beautiful and horrific images get burned into our brains simultaneously.

For such a straightforward storyboard, the obtuse ending could have been a bit more conclusive. I, for one, wanted to see these creatures finally have an interaction with humans. However, just like sasquatch sightings in the human world, the humanoid apes only witness evidence of humans without ever seeing them.

While the end product may not live up to the expectations of a realistic slice-of-life drama about actual Sasquatches, the potential of what that premise could provide was certainly maximized. A fun idea that often struggles to wring out as much depth as possible, Sasquatch Sunset is successful as a cinematic experiment if nothing else.