Sugar [Blu-ray]

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

Filmmakers Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden (Half Nelson) weave this introspective sports drama concerning a talented Dominican baseball player who longs to break into the American big league and earn the money needed to support his impoverished family. Miguel Santos is a talented pitcher who might just have what it takes to earn a prized spot on a Major League Baseball team, but before that happens he'll have to prove his worth in the minor leagues. Advancing into the United States' minor league system at the tender age of 19, Miguel is warmly welcomed into the small-town Iowa home of his host family, but can't help but struggle with language and cultural barriers despite the kindness of strangers. Subsequently forced to reevaluate his life's ambition after his once-trusty arm becomes unreliable, the previously single-minded pitcher gradually begins to question both the world he lives in and the role he has chosen to play in it. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: ABC
• Number of Discs: 1
• Subtitle: Eng/Fre/Por/Spa
• Audio: Dolby TrueHD
• Screen: Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 (Alternate Wide Screen)
• Features:
  • Deleted scenes
  • Play Beisbol! The Dominican Dream - Featuring interviews with David Ortiz, Pedro Martinez and more
  • Casting Sugar: Interview with Algenis Perez Soto

AWARDS

• AFI Fest

•     Film Presented - 2008

• Hamptons International Film Festival

•     Film Presented - 2008

• Independent Spirit Awards

•     Nominated Best Screenplay - 2008 (Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck)

• London Film Festival

•     Film Presented - 2008

• National Board of Review

•     Won Best Independent Film - 2009

• Palm Springs International Film Festival

•     Film Presented - 2009

• Sundance Film Festival

•     Film Presented - 2008

• Toronto International Film Festival

•     Film Presented - 2008

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       Algenis Perez Soto - Miguel Santos, 'Sugar'
       Rayniel Rufino - Jorge
       Andre Holland - Brad
       Michael Gaston - Stu Sutton
       Jaime Tirelli - Osvaldo
       Jose Rijo - Alvarez
       Ann Whitney - Helen Higgins
       Richard Bull - Earl Higgins
       Ellary Porterfield - Anne Higgins
       Alina Vargas - Reyna
       Kevin Leonardo Garcia - Salvador
       Marcos Rosa - Sanchez
       Walki Cuevas - Alfonso
       Santo Silvestre - Umpire 1
       Emmanuel Nanita Carvajal - Reyes
       Cesar Emilio Minaya C. - Pedro
       Joendy Pena - Marcos
       Karl Bury - Rudy Hubbard
       Zaida Alexandra Hernandez - Erica
       Lilin Soto Gonzales - Grandmother
       Dioni Feliciano - Luis
       Teodosia Reyes - Carmen
       Walky Alvarez - Sofia
       Letilier A. Foy, Jr. - Jaime
       Victor Manuel Adon - Javier

• Director:

  Ryan Fleck, Anna Boden

• Producer:

  Paul S. Mezey, Jeremy Kipp Walker, Jamie Patricof

• Screenwriter:

  Ryan Fleck, Anna Boden

• Cinematographer:

  Andrij Parekh

• Composer (Music Score):

  Michael Brook

• Musical Direction/Supervision:

  Lynn Fainchtein

• Editor:

  Anna Boden

• Production Designer:

  Elizabeth Mickle

• Art Director:

  Mike Ahern

• Executive Producer:

  Anna Boden

• Costume Designer:

  Erin Benach

• Set Decorator:

  Richard Bailey

• Sound/Sound Designer:

  Abigail Savage

• First Assistant Director:

  Mariela Comitini

• Casting:

  Cindy Tolan

• Sound Mixer:

  Judy Karp

• Re-Recording Mixer:

  Tom Efinger

• Production Supervisor:

  David Saltzman

• Associate Editor:

  Andrew Blackwell

• Additional Cinematography:

  Smokey Nelson

• Unit Production Manager:

  Ronny Merdinger

• Production Supervisor:

  George R. Benedict

• Production Coordinator:

  Julie Platner

• Script Supervisor:

  Emily Pendas

• Location Manager:

  Leonardo Cuesta, Pat Coll

REVIEW:

• Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck made a noteworthy narrative feature debut with Half Nelson, and they establish themselves as filmmakers of uncommon integrity, compassion, and vision with their superb follow-up, Sugar. While the film deals with familiar elements -- it is a fish-out-of-water story and a sports drama -- the filmmakers scrupulously avoid cliche, and in their own unobtrusively artful way, subvert audience expectations. While the film isn't really about baseball, so much as it's about a young man's coming to terms with what he wants out of life, Boden and Fleck have done their research. They get the baseball right -- a rare feat -- and they manage to tell a thoroughly compelling story that we've never seen onscreen before. Because of its unsentimental, straightforward script and its consistently excellent acting, Sugar feels completely naturalistic and true-to-life, to the extent that some might overlook the expert craft these filmmakers bring to bear. For example, there's a shot in the middle of the film -- following Miguel "Sugar" Santos (Algenis Perez Soto in an understated and wholly convincing performance) from his hotel room, through the hotel's lobby and game room, to the bowling alley, where he briefly sees another (American) minor leaguer socializing -- that wonderfully captures where Miguel is in that moment, physically and emotionally. When Miguel, who's spent much of the film in small-town Iowa and Arizona, wanders into a Bronx coffee shop, we fully empathize with his relief at simply being able to speak his native language and be understood. Sugar may not go where its audience expects, or even wants it to go, but it is full of so much humor, grace, and unexpected detail, and arrives in such a truthful place, that in the end it's far more enthralling than the typical rags-to-riches tale one might have anticipated. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi