Sasquatch Sunset 2024 Movie Review Trailer

 Jesse Eisenberg and Riley Keough play sasquatches in David and Nathan Zellner's extremely strange new serious film.

During the first few minutes of Sasquatch Sunset, from directors Nathan and David Zellner, it's hard to believe this movie exists. Four sasquatches maneuver through the mountains, eat plants they find, get excited, play with animals, and basically just do sasquatch stuff.

Directors: David Zellner, Nathan Zellner
Writer: David Zellner
Stars: Jesse Eisenberg, Riley Keough, Christophe Zajac-Denek

 Sasquatch Sunset almost acts as a test for the audience: dare you stick around to see if there's more to this than this quartet of furry monsters eating, shitting, and fighting in the woods? Is it just a joke repeated for 90 minutes or is there something deeper inside?

Sasquatch Sunset follows the aforementioned group of sasquatches over the course of a year, as they wander and survive through mountains and forests, eating, defecating, and making bad decisions along the way. 

This experiment/movie is completely dialogue-free and fairly repetitive, with the exception of the occasional mistake along the way. Someone might eat the wrong type of berry or explore something that could pose danger to the group, but Sasquatch Sunset is mostly about spending time with the daily lives of these four sasquatches.

Considering that the actors playing these sasquatches are in costume and with a lot of makeup, the cast they had for this crazy concept is quite remarkable. In fact, it might take most of the movie to figure out who's playing who, as Jesse Eisenberg and Riley Keough play two of the sasquatches, alongside Nathan Zeller and Christophe Zajac-Denek. 

Each character even has their own distinctive personality. Eisenberg's sasquatch has difficulty counting (or his version of counting), Zajac-Denek's sasquatch pretends to talk to his hand, Zellner's sasquatch is more willing to embrace his basic impulses and try new things, while Keough's character ...he loves to scratch his crotch and smell it.

It's fascinating how much these actors commit to the role, as they really lose themselves in these characters. Even based on the growls and various noises they make, it's difficult to discern which of these sasquatches was in The Social Network. It's an impressive task that's taken relatively seriously (even with all the experimentation with peeing, poop-throwing, and vomit-covered berries), and while this could have been interpreted as a wink to the audience, it's even more notable how simple it is. concept is.

Sasquatch Sunset is the latest intriguing concept from the Zellner brothers, who deconstructed classic Western tropes with 2018's underrated Damsel and directed several episodes of The Curse, which goes in equally unexpected and wild directions. Even David Zellner's treasure hunter Kumiko, who helped put the director on the map, was a version of the Coen brothers' Fargo. Simply put, the Zellner brothers don't rest on their laurels when it comes to high concepts, and that goes for Sasquatch Sunset too.

Technically, Sasquatch Sunset is beautiful to behold, almost like a nature documentary that has managed to capture four sasquatches together. With cinematography by Mike Gioulakis (Us, It Follows, The Eyes of Tammy Faye), Sasquatch Sunset makes every shot stunning, even when the film goes to more absurd extremes.

 Once again, it's the dedication to the part that makes Sasquatch Sunset work so well, and Zellner's careful handling of how to present this idea, along with Gioulakis' stunning visuals, brings a sense of legitimacy to a concept that you could easily laugh. off.

In a way, the Zellner brothers are stripping a narrative down to its most basic form (almost as if they were watching a silent comedy) and seeing if they can turn something so wild into something that will actually interest audiences. Does the joke get a little old at times, even at 90 minutes? Absolutely, and it's easy to wonder if there will be more to the film or if this is it.

 Sasquatch Sunset could easily have been a much more effective experimental short than it is in this form. But all credit to Nathan and David Zellner for committing to this concept and creating a bold, idiosyncratic vision, to hell with what anyone thinks. Sasquatch Sunset is, overall, a crazy idea that works mostly because of a dedication to taking this concept seriously. The film is not without its flaws and strange choices, but the fact that it works is a testament that the Zellner brothers and this incredible cast are willing to give their all for such a deranged idea.

Watch Sasquatch Sunset 2024 Movie Trailer