SASQUATCH SUNSET – Review

So, you say you want to see something different, offbeat, out-of-the-ordinarry on your next visit to the cinema (yes, maybe at a multiplex). Well, this weekend brings a true test for adventurous filmgoers. A few days ago I posted a review of the slapstick farce HUNDREDS OF BEAVERS, which is basically a silent movie “homage” since there’s almost no spoken dialogue. Much the same can be said for this new film, though it has a full soundtrack with lots of ambient background audio. Oh, and the characters do communicate, though it’s mainly via hand gestures, body language, and various grunts, growls, and groans. That’s because the four main characters are those “urban legend” icons, Bigfeet (Bigfoots just doesn’t sound right). No humans, just this quartet, romping around the forest all day until the big SASQUATCH SUNSET.

It all begins though, with the sunrise over a vast wooded area, perhaps in the great Northwestern US. After taking apart their nighttime shelter (some branches and bushes balanced under a tall tree), they’re on the move for breakfast. Now, this foursome is either a tribe or a family (or maybe a mix). The head of the pack, the alpha or the papa (Nathan Zellner) intimidates the other two males when he’s not attempting to, or mating with, the female (Riley Keough). As for the other fellas, the taller of the two seems obsessed with counting things (eggs, stars, etc.) so he could be called Brainy Bigfoot (Jesse Eisenberg). Is he the offspring of the older two, or possibly the kid brother of the alpha? It’s not explained. the smaller of the two is certainly the offspring of the alpha and the female, so the title of Junior (Christophe Zajac-Denek) would suit him. Aside from food gathering, the men often stop to pummel tree trunks with large branches. Maybe they’re hoping another tribe or clan will respond. But it seems like they’re all alone…but not for long. As the female fondles her growing belly, it becomes obvious that she is pregnant. And Brainy stumbles upon a tree with a spray-painted “X” on its trunk. Could this be the first sign of humans looking to farm their forest? But there are more dire concerns when tragedy begins to thin their ranks. Will they be victims of the dangers of the wild before their home is destroyed by the even more scary and destructive forces of “mankind”?

As you might have assumed, the actors are indeed encased in costumes, latex prosthetics, and tons o’ faux fur, but somehow their personalities poke through. Of course, seeing their real eyes peeking out from under a heavy plastic brow helps quite a bit also. I’ll admit that it took me several minutes to “see” Eisenberg (I really thought that he was the “alpha” at first), then the role made more “dramatic logic” to me. I’ve always associated him with smart guys from Lex Luthor to the Zuckerberg, so it’s fitting that “Brainy’ is striving for knowledge and is frustrated as the others dismiss his pursuits. We also see “panic” set in as those eyes fixate on the “female” as his primal urges smother his intellectual curiosity. As the object of his, and Alpha’s, lust Keough projects a sense of disgust and defiance when she refuses to become the mere outlet for thoss “sex enslavers” (or as Lily sang in BLAZING SADDLES, “I’m tired”). Keough “switches gears” to show the female’s fierce maternal instincts proving that she’s another “mama bear” in the vast forest. Much of the comic relief is provided by Zajak-Denek as the somber, stoic Junior whose sad, blank-eyed stare reminded me of the great silent clown Buster Keaton (his attempt to pet a badger is funny and poignant). He’s a great comedic partner with Eisenberg, as they observe the brutish Alpha, played with banal menace and smoldering anger by Zellner. Aside from the encroaching signs of “man” and a very callous cougar, he’s the story’s main villain whether he’s harassing the female or greedily devouring the fruit of a newly discovered shrub, topped with a tasty ‘shroom.

Director and co-writer (with actor/brother Nathan) David Zellner has crafted a true cinematic experiment that compels the viewer to adjust their sensibilities to its odd rhythms. Those who get “in sync” will find much to enjoy in the pantomime performances (they have a hand gesture for “gettin’ busy”) and the change of seasons in the lush tranquil settings, even if some of the sequences don’t make much sense (what campers just leave everything out while they hike and explore). There’s a sense of dread with each newly discovered piece of invading humanity from the paved roads to a freshly-cut log (which is quite deadly). And more sensitive moviegoers may be repulsed by the tribe’s often crude behaviors (yes they you-know-what in the woods, among other functions) making them less cute and charming like the title star of HARRY AND THE HENDERSONS and more like the 1980s grunting “beast-men” of CLAN OF THE CAVE BEAR and QUEST FOR FIRE. Some of the bits of bigfoot lore are somewhat clever, like their nightly shelters and their zeal to quickly bury their departed (with bits of twig symbols), but the story begins to wear out its welcome after the one-hour mark, and it is not helped by the poorly rendered yeti child-puppet (hate to say it, but maybe a CGI tweak would’ve helped). It’s interesting that two of our most celebrated young screen stars took a chance on this, but it doesn’t elevate SASQUATCH SUNSET beyond being a quirky indie novelty better suited as a TV sketch or short subject.

2.5 out of 4

SASQUATCH SUNSET is now playing in select theatres