Now Playing in Select UK Cinemas
Spoiler Alert
Although My Bigfoot Life is framed as a story about joining a larger community of cryptid hunters, I couldn’t help but feel something was missing. Somerset, UK, is steeped in supernatural folklore, and the film barely nods to it. Glastonbury Tor—long linked to King Arthur’s burial—and the Beast of Exmoor are famous fixtures of local legend. Including them would have rooted Barnett’s journey in a much richer cultural backdrop. Instead, the focus shifts away from a giant cat to the “world’s number one ape” (sorry, Kong).
I can’t fault directors Daniel Lee Barnett and Monika Gergelova for wanting to make their mark. This seems to be Barnett’s first feature-length project, and while the effort is obvious, the execution falters. Although his father is far more emotional about supporting his son’s endeavours, it’s best to take some moments in this documentary with a grain of salt. I recommend checking out his better-produced podcast, Mythical Legends.
In his feature documentary debut, some sequences feel scripted. The dialogue often mirrors ghost-hunting shows I’ve followed for over a decade. Having participated in paranormal investigations myself—and produced similarly themed segments for Camosun College’s Village 900 AM Radio as well as Absolute Underground Magazine on YouTube—I recognize the commentary often included to engage audiences. That background makes it harder to take some of the evidence at face value; when the words sound recycled, the claims feel less convincing.
Barnett’s passion, though, is genuine. He wants to believe, and his enthusiasm is infectious. Producing this work despite the challenges of making it consumer friendly, and his selective mutism is no small feat. Those achievements deserve recognition. Ryan Golembeske and Ronny Leblanc from the Travel Channel’s Expedition Bigfoot, and James “Bobo” Fay from Animal Planet’s Finding Bigfoot, clearly support him, and that recognition says enough.
Still, I worry about how he might cope if he ever did encounter something truly unknown. Fortunately, he’s surrounded by experienced hunters who can help, and that dynamic provides reassurance rather than dread.
The cracks that show are in the “evidence.” At one point, two huge white eyes are presented as proof of Bigfoot. But lore—and biology—suggest otherwise. Most reported sightings describe eye-shine as red, amber, or brown. White reflections are far more consistent with birds, particularly owls. Watching that moment, I couldn’t help but think the team mistook a swooping owl for Sasquatch. If this had happened in Somerset, I might have entertained the idea of the Mendip “Owlman.”, but in the Pacific Northwest, it seems far less likely. Instead of leaning into the possibility of misidentification, the film pushes the more dramatic claim, and that weakens its credibility.
Eventually, he does encounter something possible. Later in the work, he said he saw red eye-shine.
There’s also the matter of community. While many in the paranormal scene are welcoming, others can be territorial, and that tension surfaces here. When the documentary shows Barnett preparing to visit the Pacific Northwest, he’s warned to stay away. He is stepping into a world that doesn’t always play nice, and the film brushes against that without exploring it fully. A deeper dive into those dynamics might have been more engaging than building up to yet another “Did you hear that?” moment in the woods.
Barnett deserves credit for overcoming personal challenges in creating a full-length documentary. But for those seeking fresh insights into Bigfoot lore, this documentary won’t deliver. The questionable “sightings” hold it back. A more honest approach—acknowledging misidentifications, or at least the limitations of night-time investigations—would have given the film more weight.
In the end, this documentary works best as a personal story of determination rather than cryptid research. It celebrates one individual’s entry into a subculture, and that has its own value. But enthusiasm isn’t enough to replace accuracy, and My Bigfoot Life leaves viewers with more questions than answers about what might really be out there.
3 Stars out of 5
My Bigfoot Life Trailer
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