The Sony Pictures Classics film, Sugar tells the story of Miguel Santos, a.k.a. “Azucar” (Sugar), a pitcher from the Dominican Republic who moves to the minor leagues. The film follows his journey from his home in San Pedro de Macoris to rural Iowa where he lives with a host family. From there the film looks at the trials of being a professional athlete combined with the culture shock of immigrating to a new country.
The story of Miguel Santos is basically an immigrant story set against the backdrop of the minor league baseball system. The filmmakers shed light on the subtle and dramatic clashes of culture that occur for immigrants every day. We also get to see the isolation that occurs for many of these players who leave their home and family to move out of poverty.
Sugar takes an almost documentary style approach to the world of minor league baseball. The filmmakers take a very detailed look at the Baseball camps in the Dominican Republic, the nuances of the minor league system in the us and the competitive nature of professional sports.
Sugar was written and directed by Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden, the team behind the film Half Nelson. The film was nominated for both the 2008 Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival and the 2009 Independent Spirit Award.
The DVD includes deleted scenes and three featurettes including Play Béisbol! The Dominican Dream (MLB player interviews including David Ortiz, Pedro Martinez and Sammy Sosa).
Sugar was a great film that tells the story of the impact that American Baseball has had on many of the young men of the Caribbean. The film does a great job of illustrating the long and difficult journey that many of the players from the islands have made to become superstars in the MLB and their lasting impact on the sport of Baseball.
Sugar is one of the best Baseball themed films in years, and one of the best films about immigrants from the Caribbean ever.
CraveOnline Rating: 9 out of 10
