Like many young men in the Dominican Republic, 19-year-old Miguel "Sugar" Santos dreams of winning a slot on an American baseball team. Indeed, his talents as a pitcher eventually land him a slot on a single-A team in Iowa, but culture shock, racism and other curveballs threaten to turn Sugar's dream sour.
Direction
Boden & Fleck let silence do the screaming.
Acting
Soto's face carries entire untranslated monologues.
Writing
No triumphant third act. Thank god.
Director
Ryan Fleck
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Algenis Perez Soto was an actual baseball player discovered at a recruitment camp—never acted before. The directors cast authenticity over polish.
Released the same year as 'The Wrestler' and 'Frozen River,' part of a 2008 indie wave about American working-class collapse that Oscar completely ignored.
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