Sugar - B+

In theaters. Rated R, 110 minutes. Trailer.

Writer/Directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck made a big indie splash with 2007's Half Nelson. For their follow up they chose to tell the story of Sugar, a teenaged pitching prospect from the Dominican Republic. The story avoids convention and is thoroughly engrossing for the first 3/4, due to a great performance from Algenis Perez Soto and an understated but interesting screenplay.



The film begins at a Major League Baseball recruiting campus in the Dominican Republic. It is a gated, idyllic facility where a couple dozen teenage Dominicans are learning the art of baseball - how to play and speak the game. Sugar is a decent prospect that slowly grows enough to be invited to Spring Training with the team in Arizona. As he experiences culture shock and works hard, he gets tapped to go straight to the single-A affiliate in the middle of Iowa. There he lives with an evangelical octogenarian host family and tries to fit in while he plays. After a promising start, he falters and eventually leaves the team to try for a regular life in New York City.

The film is extremely accurate in its depiction of the minor league experience and real life in a third world country. One of my good friends made his way through the minors and I spent several weekends with him and his host families - and this film gets it right. Fleck and Boden are telling the tale of an introspective boy trying to strike gold in the land of opportunity, but also a subtle tale about immigration, isolation, culture and exploitation. I only half like Half Nelson, but this one had me hooked until the New York ending. Sugar's manner and dignity as well as the compelling story arc and his balancing of his baseball life, his assimilation and his hero status back home all were well done and interesting.

The treatment of America, Iowa and Christians was all realistic and fair. The Dominicans are all trying to 'get to the States' and speak glowingly about the opportunities available here. The host family is depicted as honest and good, as are the Christians - I didn't detect any parody or negativity in the scenes at church and youth group and prayer.

The New York scenes are fine, but the film lost my significant interest at that point. I loved all of the scenes where they learn about English or American culture, especially the "french toast" bit. Worth your time.