RATING: A-

A Bigfoot Woods production in association with Sleeper Cell. Directed by Elizabeth Chatelain. Produced by Megan Huber, Wyatt McDill, and Bruce Pavalon. Written by Abel Pavalon and Bruce Pavalon. Cinematography by Wilson Webb. Edited by Cecilia Delgado.

Stars Ambrose Velasco, Tristan McDonald, Catherine Campion, Derek Hughes, E.J. Subkoviak, Tiffany Cooper, Julia Zook, Tic Treitler, and Rich Sommer.

A family in a small town faces both adversity and possible greatness at the same time in this emotionally charged drama.

Bridget Bennally is a person who has been struggling with gender identity. At first, they declare themselves non-binary, much to the chagrin of her father, the high school science teacher; and her mother, who works in a local nursing home. They live in a very small town, Streamer, Minnesota. A place in which Bridget is dealt with all sorts of issues, especially with one of the other teachers in the school and even her aunt, the school’s principal.

Bridget and her dad start a YouTube channel called “In the Woods”, which after some tough starts, finds itself gone viral when a possible Bigfoot sighting has emerged. Gaining praise within the town, Bridget and her dad are welcomed and expected to get the key to the town. However, when the duo teams up with a supposed expert in zoology and a local in which an accident causes Bridget to end up hospitalized, some truths are revealed and will change both the town and the family in ways they never expected.

From the name alone, the film feels like another Bigfoot movie. However, it is much more than that. Underneath the surface comes an LGBTQ-drama about gender identity and how a possible appearance of the Sasquatch leads to a stunning revelation. It is emotionally charged as we see the prejudice from certain townsfolk but also the parents of our protagonist finding themselves confused with their child, who at times, feels comfortable with their identity only to realize that it might not be as they realize. And for those who are wondering, despite the prejudices faced in the film, this is by far NOT Anti-LGBTQ at all. It’s about a person overcoming adversity and realizing who they are meant to be, and it does end in a satisfying way.

Ambrose Velasco is fantastic in the role of Bridget, a non-binary high school student who has a supportive dad and mom. The dad, high school teacher Paul, is played by the always great Rich Sommer. He finds himself conflicted as he always refers to Bridget as “she/her”, while mom Taylor, played by an excellent Tristan McDonald, does help in some way by telling her husband what pronouns to use. Bridget has two best friends that support her no matter what, but they also deal with one teacher who is so rude because of her beliefs that when we first meet her, she asks Paul, “Is Bridget a girl or a frog?”

It gets worse when Roy, a local who for years acts like the town bully for always mocking Paul and telling him what a cruddy parent he is because of Bridget’s identity. He also plans to buy some of the family’s land and wants them to leave town, but the family shows resilience in dealing with Roy, with Bridget’s mom even revealing something shocking in the hospitalization scene. This scene is of the utmost importance because it becomes the catalyst for the revelations that turn the family’s world upside down and not finding themselves against most of the town, they decide not to back down while getting support from at least some of the townsfolk. The final act reveals how resilient this family is when it comes to terms with gender identity on Bridget’s behalf as well as the possible revelation of Bigfoot in their small town.

Bigfoot Woods is an emotionally charged film about gender identity in small town America. Especially one where they would rather accept a myth than reality. Ambrose Velasco, Tristan McDonald, and Rich Sommer showcase some great performances here as the family and the film itself has a very satisfying finale.

The film will have its West Coast premiere on October 17. Go to BFWMovie.com to get tickets!