By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 1.5 cats
Director: John Palmer
Starring: Andre Noble | Brendan Fehr | Maury Chaykin | Sarah Polley
Country: canada
Year: 2004
Running time: 78
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0374252/combined
Bruce says: “Based on some Bruce La Bruce short stories, SUGAR is a dark, bleak, coming-of-age story. When Cliff (Andre Noble) turns eighteen his precocious ten year old sister suggests that he down a split of vodka, smoke a joint and have some sex. Within minutes Cliff is hanging out around a deserted playground that is surrounded by hustlers. He connects with one of them and begins an all-night odyssey exploring a world of sleaze and falling in love with his new found friend, Butch (Brendan Fehr). He brings Butch home to meet mama and little sis. Mama is not fooled by what she sees; little sis is empathetic. Butch is running on empty and before long descends into a drug crazed existence. Cliff tries to save him, help him, care for him but Butch is too far gone for any of that.
“The most remarkable thing about SUGAR is that it features cameos by Sarah Polley as s wayward pregnant teenager and Maury Chaykin as a dirty old man. What they are doing in this film is beyond imagination.
“At times SUGAR is reminiscent of both JOHNS and MY OWN PRIVATE IDAHO. Both those films focus strictly on hustling and drifting. SUGAR would have been a more successful film had it not tried to mix the central themes of hustling and coming-of-age. The film is too short to accommodate its aspirations. As a director John Palmer has a lot to learn about how to set up his action, to segue from one scene to another and to be clearer as to what is germane to the narrative and what is ancillary. 1.5 cats”