Sasquatch Sunset (Australian Import)

Sasquatch Sunset is a cast of 4, two adult male sasquatches played by co-director of the film Nathan Zellner (The Curse), and Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network), a female sasquatch played by Riley Keough (Under the Silver Lake) and a child 'quatch played by Christoph Zajac-Denek (Twin Peaks: The Return). Each one of the cast members brings an incredible physical performance all while wearing their squatch prosthetics.

Sasquatch Sunset is essentially a silent film; there is no dialogue nor are there any subtitles. The family communicates with simple grunts and gestures, pulled together with great editing and score to tell the story of the Sasquatch family as they navigate through their daily lives in the PNW. The film follows our heroes as they hang out with wildlife, eat mushrooms, unsuccessfully mate, and pick fights with wild cats. The film starts very idyllic for our hairy friends in the springtime which is where a majority of the mating, mushroom eating, and wildlife hangs occur. They soon find trouble navigating which berries are safe to eat and which cause certain effects on the mind and body.

In summer the gang continues to live their lives, they whoop and bang stumps against trees seemingly to try to communicate with other Sasquatches who never respond to their calls. The Sasquatch family is slowly introduced to strange artifacts that humans leave behind in their forest. First, they see the beginnings of deforestation with the introduction of big red X’s on their trees and some are cut down floating in the ponds they frequent. Along with these deforestation scenes in a truly hilarious gross-out scene we see the family interacting with a paved road for the first time - the family's reaction is truly priceless.

The film is full of gross-out humor, barf, pee, and scat are all present, so this movie might not be for everyone. Ultimately, I would call this a good hangout movie, great for late-night hangs with friends where you don’t have to pay too much attention to what's going on. I would recommend at least a watch but it’s not breaking any barriers. For many, the lack of any kind of discernable dialog or subtitled communications may be a tedious bridge too far. 

Vital Disc Stats: The Blu-ray
This release by Umbrella Entertainment is an Australian Region free release although the box states the release is Region B Blu-ray. The disc is housed in a single clear Blu-ray case, with a nice cover of the original poster of the film, and includes all the information below on the back of the case.

This movie from what I could see has 100% practical effects. The prosthetics look great, and you forget that there are actors underneath all that hair. The shots of the Pacific Northwest are stunning. The foliage is green and magnificent, and the colors really pop especially in the titular sunset scenes of the crew walking from place to place. There isn’t much in this movie that is aesthetically dark, even the scenes in the winter look great which cinematographer Mike Gioulakis (Us, It Follows) captures gorgeously. This movie makes me want to go camping in the PNW and just commune with nature, maybe have a snack sitting next to a badger, even after seeing what the sasquatches do when they come across an empty campsite.

The sound in this release is very good overall. You chose from a DTS-HD MA 5.1 or 2.0 track. For this review I kept with the 5.1` track and everything is competent, the nature sounds put you in the misty Pacific Northwest forests and at times made me wonder if my windows were open! The Sasquatch grunt communication is clear throughout the movie and their babble and screams are mixed well and don’t blow out your speakers. The music in Sasquatch Sunset is great for the scenes it presents itself in. Most of the movie relies on the actors’ movements and grunts to communicate feeling and the score comes in from time to time to punctuate the more tender scenes as well as the more intense ones. The best bit is the score that occurs whenever the Sasquatches are traveling over ridgetops and fields creating a relaxed atmosphere of good 'ol cross-country hiking. All around a nice easy mix to enjoy that might not sound too aggressive but delivers a nice immersive impact on the experience. 

The supplementals are a treasure trove. The four behind-the-scenes supplements deliver fascinating insights into the creation of the sasquatch prosthetics as well as leave you with an appreciation for the craft of acting and scouting for the perfect backdrop to tell the sasquatch’s story. It may be shot but the Bonobo screening is fascinating. The commentary with the codirectors also well worth diving into to hear their thought process for the project and executing a film like this. The score from The Octopus Project is lovely and it's a nice addition, but it'd been fantastic to get this music on a separate CD instead of just an in-disc feature. 

• Audio Commentary with David & Nathan Zellner
• Beneath the Fur: Creating the Sasquatch (HD 12:31)
• The Creatures of Nature: Behind the Scenes (HD 24:02)
• Habitat: Scouting Humboldt County (HD 8:30)
• The Road and The River: Anatomy of a Scene (HD 15:47)
• Sasquatch Birth Journal 2 (HD 4:02)
• Bonobo Test Screening (HD 4:23)
• Sasquatch Soundtrack: OST by The Octopus Project  (HD 1:03:23 - static image, track controlled through remote)
• Making the Soundtrack with The Octopus Project  (HD 2:51)
• Photo Gallery
• Trailer

Sasquatch Sunset is an absurd and heartfelt semi-silent picture following America's favorite cryptid family. The Zellner’s along with the three actors truly capture what a year in the life of a Sasquatch family would be like and how they would respond to man-made and natural dangers. It's a truly bizarre experience! The release itself is full of fun supplements that will keep you entertained for a few hours after watching the feature. This Blu-ray by Umbrella Entertainment sounds and looks great on a big TV. The movie is fun, gross, sad, and at times juvenile,  but the story is good and worth seeing. It might not be everyone’s cup of tea but it’s also not trying to be anything more profound than what it is. Sasquatch Sunset is the perfect summertime viewing. Leave the windows open, let the breeze flow, and allow the natural ambiance to let you feel like a member of the Sasquatch family. I would recommend picking this up for sure if you are a fan of physical comedy, but I would skip it if gross-out humor is not your thing. Worth a Look 

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