Film Review: Sugar

Director: Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck

From the duo that wrote and directed the thought provoking drama Half Nelson about a young teacher trying to help his students whilst dealing with his own turmoil comes Sugar. A film that looks at the lives Latino men lead in the minor leagues of baseball as they are shipped to America with little knowledge of life or the language. In a way Sugar deals with personal issues and problems like Half Nelson just against a different backdrop.

*possible spoilers*

Miguel ''Sugar'' Santos (Perez Soto)

Miguel ''Sugar'' Santos (Perez Soto) is a star pitcher in the Dominican Republic who earns a spot on a Major League teams roster which at the age of 19 sees him shipped to small town Iowa to play single A baseball. He lives with an old couple who welcome him in but he finds adjusting to life difficult as he struggles to learn English, except expletives he learnt in a bar, and finds out after a while that his arm isn't so special in the big leagues.

The adjusting to American life is delicately handled and shows how difficult it must be for people who emigrate without knowing the language especially when they are not handed a reasonably paid job like professional baseball. The frustrations that Sugar feels are genuine and avoids all the possible clichés of a rags to riches tale that so often doesn't come true in major sports. Most of his small pay cheque is sent home whilst his Ivy-league team mate who was drafted receives thousands of dollars.

Before his career gets even close to his dream of playing for the New York Yankees he struggles with injury and not being the star player anymore, frustrations that are felt around America as big players from high school find themselves matched at college. But the ending to the film feels completely lost and pulls the rug from under your feet which is a real shame even if it's not the Hollywood ending your expecting.

2.5/4 Touching look at adjusting to life abroad which slowly falls flat