Azucar- Sugar, but not Sweet

Sugar

Director: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck

Released: 2008 

Actors: Algenis Miguel Soto

The film is mostly about how it can really portray on our daily life, how we all have our own desires and dreams. The desire i speak about is making it out from a place from poverty, just so we can help the people around me. Each of us have a talent at something. First thing we think of is being rich and famous. With our given talent to us by the Holy father, we tend to use it JUST to make ourselves be known and have a sort of recognition because of the outcomes and fantasies we seek for. Well in this film, Sugar, explains the meaning of one having a special talent from within ourselves, but can our bodies handle so much pressure? Here is the re caption of an individual called Miguel Santos, and his story of becoming a professional baseball player.

Miguel Santos was born in a small village called San Pedro, Dominican Republic. Miguel is a highly talented baseball pitcher. His peers called him Azucar, which means Sugar in Spanish, because of his sweetness with the arm he throws with and his affection towards girls. He got the chance of playing professionally in a baseball academy, making him known as the top pitcher in the team. He then got a ticket to play in the minor leagues in the United States, leaving behind his family and girlfriend.

 Before Miguel leaving, he had a farewell done to him by his family but his cousins. Thus, this part of the movie was ironic that he doesn't know anyone of his family. The people he met stepped into his life for the first time and told him to "don't forget about your primo/prima!", acting if they knew Miguel. They did this because they thought he would eventually be in the Major leagues and get rich from playing in the professional team. I guess we could say they were basically "Sugar" coating him.

Before leaving, in the party, Miguel's uncle was there. Miguel's uncle was like a father figure to him. Teaching him to always put himself first, and he needs to understand that in order to make it to the big leagues, he will need to sacrifice things. This scene teaches on the theory that when we're so close on the edge of becoming someone big or famous, we have to maintain and eliminate any blockage that comes in my way.

Miguel is sent to Iowa to play for the Kansas City knights. He then stays at a house that provides help to players that come from different countries, mostly known as the Higgins family. Since he is a fluent Spanish speaker, his English was not perfect, making it harder to understand and what to say. His buddy, Jorge, who was able to play for the Knights, was showing him around on how the United States works and places to go to eat and buy booze, because buying beer from a hotel is more expensive. When Jorge brought him and his friends to the Diner, Miguel and his peers didn't know what to order because of their lack of English communication skills. Miguel continuously went to the Diner, always buying french toast.

His buddy Jorge then gets into a knee injury, and is unable to play baseball. Making it Miguel uncomfortable that his peers isn't with him anymore. The film explains the struggle of one moviing into a new country, having to face the challenge of learning English and isolating the lifestyle of the new place. Miguel then gets an injury with his arm and doesnt play anymore, he gets frustrated and knows he has to go back to the DR. But, Miguel moves back to New York city, knowing that his buddy Jorge lives there. Overall, this shows how one can do great at times when he or she feels uncomfortable, almost with the philosophy as "mind over matter, if i don't mind, it doesn't matter."

Miguel then goes to New York, searching a need for a job and a place to stay. He's short of money, no job yet, lost his girlfriend in DR and is worrying about not being able to buy a bigger kitchen for his mother and a room for his grandmother. He tends to ask himself that is this really how the American dream is? Finding our own paths of making money, when we no longer can be any good use for teams?

Pressure is a huge role that starts questioning ourselves that if we can really pull this off or make it to our dreams? Although we have talent and have plans for the future, the reality there is, is to realize that no matter how good we are, there are always obstacles that can happen and prevent us from doing. Sugar, is a huge example that no matter how good you are, can you continue being the best without getting hurt? No, we all have our days where we don't do good.