Here’s the thing about the Zellner Brothers, David and Nathan. They are basically Sundance royalty, with films including Kid-Thing, Kumiko the Treasure Hunter, and Damsel playing at the festival to packed crowd. If they’ve got a film, it’s there. And guaranteed that every year they have one, it’s going to be one of the craziest experiences you’ll have. But nothing they’ve done before goes quite so far into the realm of weird as Sasquatch Sunset.
Yes, the title is apt. The film, almost like an expansion of their short Sasquatch Birthing Journal #2, literally follows a year in the lives of a family of Sasquatch. And there’s no dialogue, either. We follow them as they go about their merry way, eating strange berries, avoiding being devoured by other prey, and staying out of sight of humans. Oh, and fornicating. And looking out for one another. And mourning their losses. And becoming a family.
Yeah, it starts out pretty goofy, but Sasquatch Sunset is ultimately the story of an offbeat family just trying to survive out there in a harsh world.
Did I mention that it stars Riley Keough and Jesse Eisenberg are underneath a lot of that fur?
If I sound like I’ve seen and loved the film, that’s because I did. But the Zellners don’t make mainstream movies that anyone can enjoy, and trust me this one is definitely an acquired taste.
Here’s the synopsis: In the misty forests of North America, a family of Sasquatches—possibly the last of their enigmatic kind— embark on an absurdist, epic, hilarious, and ultimately poignant journey over the course of one year. These shaggy and noble giants fight for survival as they find themselves on a collision course with the ever-changing world around them. Starring Riley Keough and Jesse Eisenberg, acclaimed directors David and Nathan Zellner (Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter) bring you the greatest Bigfoot story ever told.
Also starring Christophe Zajac-Denek, and Nathan Zellner, Sasquatch Sunset opens in select theaters April 12th, with a wider rollout on April 19th.
