"Sugar" Aysia Starr

Sugar. Dir. Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden. feat Algenis Perez Soto.

Sony Pictures Classics, 2009

“Sugar” follows the story of Dominican baseball pitcher Miguel Santos, played by actor Algenis Perez Soto. He relies on only his raw talent to emerge his family out of poverty in the DR. They have no chance for a better life unless their family member, Miguel (Sugar), achieves his dream profession as a minor/major league baseball player in the United States of America. As he continues his training in a Dominican baseball academy, Sugar is given his once in a lifetime opportunity at age 19. He’s scouted out by minor league baseball coaches and sent to the States to start his training. His talent doesn’t fail him, but proves his worth to his coaches, resulting in him becoming an uprising American favorite. Sugar celebrates his success and wins in parties, dancing, and sending money back to the Dominican Republic to aid his family that’s sending love in return. However, in the words of wise poet Robert Frost, ‘nothing gold can stay,” and Sugar starts seeing this as a reality. His once natural pitching skills start becoming a struggle and he finds himself turning to anything to get back on top… even drugs. With him playing out of anger, letting his emotions get the best of him, his downfall starts, and us, as viewers, start seeing what failure and quitting looks like. He starts to question his previous desire to be a major league professional and with his loss of confidence and ambition, that dream went down the drain.

In the film, “Sugar,” director Ryan Fleck explores the themes of cultural integration/immigration experiences, personal struggle with pride, and how one plays a role in “their world” and the world they live in. Throughout the movie, Sugar is largely mute, isolated by language and location, both in Iowa and on the pitcher’s mound. Coming from a rural area in the Dominican, he has little to no experience with the American language and culture. This is to his disadvantage when it comes to interacting with Americans in the States. Scenes such as the “egg scene” show a cultural collision. Sugar usually orders french toast at his local restaurant because that’s all he knows how to say in English. One night, he attempts to order eggs, a change from his usual french toast. However, when the waitress asks how he likes his eggs done, he gets confused and ends up ordering french toast. Sugar isn’t used to this restaurant “routine” and shows us how a simple activity like going out to eat is different throughout world cultures. He also struggles with his pride. When his raw talent starts failing him, he gets angry and overwhelmed, as would most people. He expresses frustration and disappointment in his performance on the field, letting his emotions play him. His ego gets in the way of acceptance, the only way for him to move on from this “slump.” With this, he starts to question the world he wanted to be a part of and how achievable it actually is. “Life gives you many opportunities, baseball only gives you one,” a Dominican baseball mentor tells Sugar early on in the film. He discovers the truth of this in ways he wouldn’t expect. He experiences emotional uncertainty as a stranger in a stranger’s land, and decides that maybe his initial aspiration doesn’t suit his tolerance. We hear of success of many MLB players, but we don’t hear of those who fail to uphold principle and dedication, those who cannot handle to pressure and stress of making it “big time.” Sugar recognized that his dream was short lived and then finds peace in his decision of moving to New York and working part-time as a restaurant employee and carpenter. He finds joy and closure on his past desires, on the struggle he onced faced. The realization of the realities of the game put him on a path of self-discovery, and led him to find sanction in working in the States and playing amateur baseball games alongside players like him, who either gave up their MLB dream or retired from it. They find common ground in each other and cope with everyday struggle. However, they’re not alone, for they have one another to discover brotherhood and a new home.

I would recommend this film to those who aspire to achieve anything, for everything comes at a price and you have to be willing to pay it. The real world isn’t kind, and you must have discipline and ambition to achieve what you want, or at least an open heart to accept the cruel process. “Sugar” is a great choice in film to depict what might happen if you plan to achieve a goal. My mother always told me that there are winners and losers, but there are also learners, and you can learn from failure if you have the willingness to do so.