Shadows on the Wall | Sasquatch Sunset

Sasquatch Sunset

dir David Zellner, Nathan Zellner
scr David Zellner
prd Lars Knudsen, Tyler Campellone, Nathan Zellner, David Zellner, George Rush, Jesse Eisenberg, David Harari
with Jesse Eisenberg, Riley Keough, Christophe Zajac-Denek, Nathan Zellner
release US 12.Apr.24,
UK 14.Jun.24
24/US 1h28

SUNDANCE FILM FEST
BERLIN FILM FEST

Is it streaming?

Defiantly offbeat, this is one of those one-off movies that could only come from extremely curious filmmakers. Brothers David and Nathan Zellner follow a bigfoot family over four momentous seasons. There's no dialog, although the creatures communicate with gestures, grunts and other noises. The film has a wonderfully deadpan sense of humour, even as the story turns dark and emotional. And the result is both involving and memorable.

In a redwood forest, a male (Eisenberg) and female (Keough) are accompanied by their child (Zajac-Denek) and an older male (Zellner) as they groom each other, forage for ferns and berries, build shelters, move from place to place and meditate on their lives. There are dangers everywhere, but also wonders to enjoy. But events conspire to change the nature of their little community, including the female's pregnancy and a prowling mountain lion. And signs of humanity's encroachment begin to appear everywhere they look, from red X's on trees to a campsite full of fascinating things.

Expressive performances and superb prosthetic makeup bring these figures to vivid life, down to tiny details that will only be caught on the big screen. As a result, their thoughts and feelings come through loud and clear, including ideas of sexuality and mortality. This tiny civilisation is somewhere between the apes and ancient humanity, with focuses on grooming and territoriality, plus a spiritual approach when death comes. Their reactions to things as disparate as a roadway or an Erasure tune blasting from a boombox are hilarious, and also moving.

Of course, as woodland critters, their first reactions usually involve various bodily excretions. And the actors also find witty subtext in both big physical movements and the tiniest flickers of the eyes. This helps us understand the dynamic between them, and also the affection they have for each other. So when one of them dies, it's heartbreaking. And each threat, whether real or imagined, feels momentous.

The Zellners shoot this in spectacular northern California landscapes that feel almost primordial until they begin revealing evidence of human activity. And while much of the film is played as a subtle comedy with moments of earthy tragedy, this changing environment adds a clever thematic undercurrent about the shifting reality around these creatures and their inability to take in what they are seeing. So the salient question is whether they'll begin to understand and take action before it's too late for them.

themes, violence, sexuality 5.Jun.24

R E A D E R R E V I E W S

Still waiting for your comments ... don't be shy.