‘Sugar’ Review: Fernando Meirelles Puts It Right On Our Tongue

Apple TV’s noir show, Sugar, takes risks at every turn, not only breaking the very conventional rules of filmmaking or taking some big swings with plot but also playing with the concept of neo-noir in a way that feels fresh. Fernando Meirelles and his Brazilian collaborators, César Charlone (cinematographer) and Fernando Stutz (editor), experiment and succeed by virtue of their meticulous planning and teamwork while also leaving enough room for improvisation.

The star of the show is Colin Farell, who plays the titular character John Sugar with such finesse, vulnerability and innocence. A significant part of the show depicts the way John Sugar explores LA with a childlike gaze driving a 1963 Corvette Convertible. Fernando Meirelles not only breaks the first rule of filmmaking of never jumping the eyeline — the discontinuity in itself works well to impart a great deal of dynamic action to show — it also avoids the tropey aspects of neo-noir protagonists.

Colin Farell’s John Sugar is a certified film geek, the movies are what teaches him a great deal about his profession, in a way his whole thought process in this show is depicted with cuts to some classic neo-noir films of the past. Yet John Sugar is not your standard noir protagonist, unlike most of the noir heroes, John Sugar actually cares for everybody. The entire show unfolds from the perspective of John Sugar, an easily likable and rootable protagonist that you can spend countless episodes with to see what he’s upto.

Even though Meirelles couldn’t get some of the Brazilian actors he wanted to work with on this show, the cast is still incredible which comprises of: Amy Ryan, Anna Gunn, Dennis Boutsikaris and James Cromwell to name a few.

The show reaps the benefit of weekly release, every week I looked forward to a new episode just because of the strong vibes of the show. The entire show feels like a delightful piece of jazz. The frenetic framing, dynamic cross cutting, effective monologues, jazzy score, tasteful soundtrack, the whole metaphysicality of exploring an unknown town and so much sauce in terms of editing, makes this such a memorable watch, that is really a must for noir fans. The vibes of this thing, and I cannot emphasize it enough, are immaculate.

However, the risk-taking reaches a new high with a huge swing at the end of episode 6, which might make or break the show for many. As for me, I was totally on board with the twist, it recontextualises the entire show in a fresh way and honestly makes the plot even more interesting.

Between (guest directing) HBO’s The Sympathizer and Apple’s Sugar, Fernando Meirelles is having a blast with television, the fans of his directing style will only end up loving these shows and for the ones still not familiar with his game, you’re in for a treat. Our only hope now is for Apple to renew Season 2 ASAP for I am already starting to miss the vibes and mood this show puts me in.

Sugar was created by Mark Protosevich and Fernando Meirelles is directed by Meirelles as well as Adam Arkin. It stars Colin Farrell as John Sugar, Kirby as Ruby, Amy Ryan as Melanie Mackintosh, Dennis Boutsikaris as Bernie Siegel, Nate Corddry as David Siegel, Alex Hernandez as Kenny, James Cromwell as Jonathan Siegel and Anna Gunn as Margit. All eight episodes of the show’s first season are now streaming on Apple TV+. A second season has not been announced.

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