Watch Sugar

Sugar is a 2008 drama film directed and written by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck. The movie follows the story of Miguel Santos, a talented baseball player from the Dominican Republic. Life has not been easy for Miguel, who grows up in a poor family with dreams of making it big in the world of baseball. Miguel's story begins in a small town in the Dominican Republic. He is scouted by a talent agent for the Kansas City Knights and is offered a chance to play Minor League Baseball in the United States. Miguel leaves his home and family to pursue his dream of becoming a professional baseball player.

When Miguel arrives in the US, he is placed in a minor league team in Iowa. The culture shock of living in a foreign country and adapting to a new way of life proves to be quite difficult for him. He struggles to communicate with his teammates, overcome his loneliness and adapt to the colder weather.

As the story unfolds, Miguel's dreams of becoming a professional baseball player start to crumble. He’s demoted to a lower-tier minor league team in Arizona's baseball system, and his game suffers as a result of the language barrier, cultural differences, and the added pressure of being seen as a ‘poster-boy’ for Latin American baseball players.

Throughout the movie, we see the struggles of Miguel, who faces many obstacles not only on the field but also in his personal life. He begins to question whether his dream of becoming a professional baseball player is worth all the sacrifices he’d mentally and emotionally made. He starts to feel homesick and isolated, feels the weight of his parent's expectations and can’t shake off the feeling that he’s not just playing for himself, but he's playing for his whole community and its future generations.

The film is not just about baseball; it's about the pursuit of the American Dream by a non-American. The movie shows how the American Dream can be both a source of inspiration and disillusionment to immigrants who often feel caught between two cultures.

The filmmakers use excellent cinematography to capture the beauty of the Dominican landscape and the industrial landscape of the American Midwest. The film features a predominantly Latino cast, played by actors who give realistic and emotional performances. The score is immersive and reflective.

Overall, Sugar is a touching and inspiring movie that sheds light on some of the challenges that immigrants face when they come to America in search of their dreams. It shows how a love of baseball can lead to self-discovery, and how anyone, regardless of their background, can fight to overcome adversity and find their place in the world. The story subtly reveals issues of class divides, negotiation of identity and the moral implications of pursuing the so-called 'American Dream'

The movie premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2008 and received critical acclaim, with critics highlighting its honest portrayal of the American Dream and its effect on immigrants. It ultimately did well in indie and arthouse film circles, earning the respect of many audiences and critics for its noncommercial themes and measured pace.

In summary, Sugar is a must-watch movie that will move and inspire you. It's a film that will make you reflect on what the 'American Dream' actually stands for and how multicultural societies strive to achieve it. It is a movie about identity, loss, belonging, and the struggle to find oneself amidst the overwhelming forces of culture, history, and conflicting expectations.

Sugar is a 2008 drama with a runtime of 2 hours. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 7.2 and a MetaScore of 82.