I must confess to not knowing much about the ins and outs of baseball, even though i do dig the sport and that’s probably what inspired me to go and see the just released film ‘Sugar’ (now playing in London and select US cities)  that has been getting rave reviews. I was not sure what to expect, nor if i would suddenly become number 1 fan. Well as it goes, I was totally charmed by the top performances, the insight into the game and the unique spin. ‘Sugar’  follows the life of a young dedicated Dominican pitcher Miguel ‘Sugar’ Santos from the scouted training camps and the poverty in his hometown San Pedro De Macorís to his acceptance into the minor leagues in the ‘promised land’ USA (albeit a small town start) where he begins to question his life long ambition. Hence the ’spin’ and rather than a competitive jock movie, it plays out as a journey of unrealised potential.

It also has a sweet soundtrack composed by Michael Brooks (Real World) plus well placed tunes including TV on the Radio (hear below), a Spanish version of Hallelujah (covered by the likes of Jeff Buckley to Leonard Cohen) and numerous merengues for a spin round your living room no doubt.

TV on the Radio – Blues From Down Here

‘Sugar’ is  writtten and directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck who burst onto the independent film scene in ‘06 with their debut Half Nelson, that brought its star, Ryan Gosling, an Academy Award nomination for best actor.