SEATTLE — Imagine a nature documentary where the animals are a pack of nomadic Sasquatches.
That's the premise of "Sasquatch Sunset," an absurdist dark comedy with no dialogue, anatomically correct costumes and surprising pathos.
Set in Northern California, the film focuses on four characters: an alpha, a female, a gentle male and a child.
They do everything animals do – from mundane tasks like eating to violent outbursts, sex and bowel movements.
Watching the behavior in human-like forms is both fascinating and incredibly uncomfortable to watch.
But beyond the shock factor, there are meaningful themes about the environment, gender roles and what it means to be a family.
The film was written and directed by brothers David and Nathan Zellner. Nathan also plays a Sasquatch alongside actors Jesse Eisenberg, Riley Keough and Christophe Zajac-Denek.
Entertainment reporter Kim Holcomb talked to them all about making the movie.
HOLCOMB: “I live in the Squatchiest state in the country…”
NATHAN ZELLNER: (laughter) "You can't avoid the Pacific Northwest if you're trying to think about Sasquatch and Sasquatch lore. It's fascinating how big of a thing it is over there."
HOLCOMB: "In your research for your roles, did you look at the Pacific Northwest at all?"
KEOUGH: "My father's from the Pacific Northwest, so I grew up with some Sasquatch stories and was very familiar with the Sasquatch territory."
HOLCOMB: "Out of all the mythical creatures in the world, why the Sasquatch?”
DAVID ZELLNER: “It's the most American mythical creature, you know? The way it kind of represents the connection between human and animal behavior. I think that's definitely an interesting element."
HOLCOMB: "What is it like being directed by Bigfoot?”
KEOUGH: "It was normal until he would talk."
HOLCOMB: "What were you actually eating when you had giant ferns you were chewing on?"
ZAJAC-DENEK: "Actual edible ferns and actual edible flowers and berries. If you reached for one that wasn't edible, they'd say, 'No no, don't eat that - eat this instead.'”
EISENBERG: “Didn't you eat a slug, too? Riley - Riley ate a slug."
KEOUGH: "I don't want to give away the movie magic, but there was a real slug involved, I'll say that."
HOLCOMB: "The moments that I was shocked or disgusted were because I was projecting expectations of how a person should behave with these creatures, but I don't do that with my dog when I let her outside to do whatever she needs to do. Did you as actors go through a process where you were letting go of any inhibitions or expectations we have for one another so you could just go there for these roles?"
EISENBERG: "Yes, your point is exactly right - and you really had no choice. Like, these characters are doing things we don't normally do. But the thing you said about your dog is interesting because Sasquatches are the kind of link between the human world and the animal world. So you have a relationship with your dog that's emotional and funny and joyous and in some ways, there's a real camaraderie. But in other ways, you would never project your dog's behavior onto yourself. Sasquatches are actually this weird middle ground. A lot of the humor in this movie comes from the fact that, you feel like you're watching really relatable characters, and then they see a road and they feel the need to pee all over the road. It's this really funny juxtaposition of relating to them and also being really put off by a lot of what they do."
DAVID ZELLNER: “The multifaceted complexities of their existence play out. Both the absurdity and the poignancy was so rich to explore. It's a mix of highbrow and lowbrow stuff throughout the film."
“Sasquatch Sunset” will enchant some audiences and repel others – but no one can deny, it’s a one-of-a-kind movie.
It's rated R and opens in theaters April 19.
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