I’ve been keeping an eye on SUGAR, the follow-up feature from HALF NELSON creators Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden. And by keeping an eye on it, I mean thinking about it every time I eat sugar with a spoon (which is a lot) and every time I call someone sugar (which is never). HALF NELSON was one of the stronger independent films to come out this decade, and any time directors craft a debut as stunning as that, how can their sophomore effort not warrant attention?
SUGAR is about a young Dominican who comes to the U.S. to play baseball, first in the minors and then eventually moving to the major leagues. It screened at Sundance, but had yet to be picked up for distribution by a studio—until now. Sony Pictures Classics has swooped in and saved the day, to ensure that this supposed gem (it’s been well-reviewed) will be seen by whomever chooses to seek it out. And as you can judge by the photograph, Fleck and Boden have certainly kept their tradition of inspiring cinematography. The film apparently has an unexpected and strange third act, thus making it a tough marketing conundrum for the studio to solve. I’m just happy I’ll get to see it, because now that it’s going to be shown—albeit in limited release—there will definitely be bootlegged copies of it for sale in Chinatown. Score!