Knock on Wood

On the surface, a wonderfully ridiculous comedy about the life of a Sasquatch family over the course of a year, Sasquatch Sunset quickly reveals itself to be something else entirely. The film is the brainchild of brothers Nathan and David Zellner, who share a combined nine credits on the film between the two of them for directing, producing, editing, writing, acting, and even visual effects.

Much like the brothers’ previous directorial outing, Showtime’s The Curse, we are seeing a marked split between the reactions of critics and general audiences. Currently sitting at a comfortable 71% fresh rating with critics on Rotten Tomatoes, the film only has a 38% audience approval rating, a trend that seems to be increasingly common with creative swings like Sasquatch Sunset.

An obstacle for some and a selling point for others, the film remains entirely dialogue-free, barring the frequent grunts and moans of our cryptid friends. Jesse Eisenberg, Riley Keough, Christophe Zajac-Denek, and co-director Nathan Zellner are the sole credited actors in Sasquatch Sunset, and it is their devoted performances — along with the pounds of makeup and prosthetics — that sell the premise of the film. The actors attended what they jokingly called Sasquatch School ahead of filming to develop a consistent way of moving and communicating with one another, and the result is a highly naturalistic film that would more closely resemble a nature documentary if not for its more comedic edge.

Your mileage may vary as it concerns the surprisingly juvenile and horny Sasquatch family, but the film certainly commits to the bit. While the toilet humor and (albeit silent) sex jokes get stale after a while, the film evolves into a genuinely moving and unexpected study of what it means to be human. Ironically, it being a group of Sasquatches helps the Zellner brothers boil down humanity to its most essential parts. All the fluff of humanity’s advancements is cast aside as we watch these Sasquatches eat, sleep, learn, bicker, and love.

Whether it be Eisenberg’s hilariously pained expression as his unnamed Sasquatch repeatedly tries (and fails) to teach himself to count or Keough’s journey to childbirth, Sasquatch Sunset is a true microcosm of the human experience. That is not to say the film is a complete home run — the humor does not always land, and the film’s story feels admittedly thin — but it is difficult not to champion such a successful and ambitious creative swing.
The Zellner brothers are admirably interested in pushing the bounds of the medium in a way that few filmmakers do. Sasquatch Sunset will not appeal to everyone, but its humanistic viewpoint, surreal sense of humor, and sneaky environmental messaging will undoubtedly resonate strongly with a certain subset of viewers. Sasquatch Sunset was never going to be a crowd-pleasing money-maker, but the cult-classic status it feels destined to acquire in the coming years will be well-earned.

Sasquatch Sunset is playing in theaters now.