2009 AFI Dallas Film Festival - Sugar

(USA, 2008, 118 mins)
In English, Spanish with English subtitles
35m
Dallas/Ft Worth Premiere
Directed By: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck

For many Dominicans, baseball represents the pathway from poverty to wealth and glory. And so when Sugar, a gifted 19-year-old pitcher, gets called up to the American minor leagues, it seems a dream fulfilled for him, his family and his community. But life on the road and under the glare of the lights carries more challenges than the young man imagined.

Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck's follow-up to their Oscar-nominated Half Nelson is a miracle of cinema, a restrained, moving and wholly realized human story. Sugar seems to evolve organically—at times feeling almost improvised—and is filled with the gentle twists and surprises of a real life being lived. Yet, as it progresses, one recognizes its thoughtful construction; it is carefully paced and breathtakingly composed. The sports footage is convincing without being showy, and the struggles of Sugar and the other newcomers to the US are drawn with deep empathy, instead of relying on contrived, episodic moments.

Information from the festival's website