Mr. J & Mr. S (CREDIT: Altered Innocence/Screenshot; Bleecker Street)

Sasquatch Sunset

Starring: Riley Keough, Jesse Eisenberg, Christophe Zajac-Denek, Nathan Zellner

Directors: Nathan and David Zellner

Running Time: 89 Minutes

Rating: R

Release Date: April 12, 2024 (Theaters)

The People’s Joker

Starring: Vera Drew, Lynn Downey, Kate Distler, Nathan Faustyn, David Liebe Hart, Phil Braun, Maria Bamford

Director: Vera Drew

Running Time: 92 Minutes

Rating: Unrated

Release Date: April 5, 2024 (Theaters)

I recently took in a couple of flicks that offer revisionist takes on a couple of the most popular American myths. Sasquatch Sunset grounds cryptids in familial and scatological realism, while The People’s Joker refracts DC Comics and comedy showbiz institutions through a queer and trans coming-of-age lens. So… which, if any, of these worlds would I like to live in? To be honest, neither is particularly inviting. Sasquatch Sunset is too isolated, while People’s Joker is too dystopian, although at least the latter offers some possibility of self-actualization. So I won’t be taking up permanent residence anytime soon (or ever), but I was happy to visit!

Grades:
Sasquatch Sunset: Matted Hair-Chic
The People’s Joker: 100iph* (*in-jokes per hour)