That Sugar Film

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Damon Gameau directs. Judd Overton behind the camera. Jojo Petrina scores. Jane Usher cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Australia. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

• 1Released 12 years ago.
• 2Directed by Damon Gameau, shot by Judd Overton. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
• 3Original score by Jojo Petrina. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
• 4Editor Jane Usher shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
• 5Damon Gameau and Stephen Fry and Brenton Thwaites carry the top of the cast.
• 6Marketing tagline: "This will change the way you think about 'healthy' food".
• 7IMDB entry: tt3892434 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography

Judd Overton

Original score

Jojo Petrina

Editing

Jane Usher

Production design

Gareth Davies

VFX supervisor

Seth Larney

Sound

Simon Rosenberg

Runtime

97 min · 1h 37m

Aspect ratio (typical)

1.78:1 (16:9)

Status

Released

Original language

EN

Certification (US)

PG

IMDB

That Sugar Film (2014) ↗

Rotten Tomatoes

69% 🍅 Fresh

Metacritic

56/100

IMDB rating

7.4/10 · 11,215 votes

MPAA

Not Rated

US box office

$3,500

Also by

Damon Gameau

• 
  Future Council

  2025 · ★ 10.0
• 
  2040

  2019 · ★ 6.7

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

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Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

• 

  ▶
  That Sugar Film - Official Trailer

  Trailer

Community reviews

What people are saying

• Reno2016-12-24
  ★ 9/10

  We're surrounded by dangers, simply refused to see it. The last time I saw such documentary film was 'Food, Inc.'. In the mean time I have seen documentaries about different topics, but not food. It was a long gap indeed, because then I was in my early twenties and now watching this film made me realise how to look at the food I eat everyday. So believe me, if you are in your late twenties and above, this will inspire you. But for others, like the youngsters and kids, it will be an educational film. This Australian film looks funny from the outside, but the information it gives can't simply be discarded. I liked the actor, who was the writer, director, producer of the film and the dedication was highly appreciable. Because it was not just go out and make a film, but he himself placed into the centre of the film plot. Initially I thought it was a crazy idea, but at the end I'm stunned. For everything, from what he did and what this film revealed. When it comes to the food, there are many things to be concerned. But this film was focused on sugar, about the foods we eat, which has a strong sugar presence and how it is affecting our health. Damon Gameau decided to experiment himself by consuming per day, forty teaspoons of sugar and from sugary products that easily available in the market. And monitoring carefully the changes in his body along the way his wife's pregnancy. "Sugar's not evil, but life's so much better when you get rid of it." The film is not all about the experiment he's doing, it also gives some details about the people who are suffering big from modern foods. Especially I'm happy for openly giving opinions about the soft drinks from Coke and Pepsi brands. Damon also travelled to the US and he continued what he was doing, alongside collecting some new input from the experts, as well as meeting the victims. The rapid change in his physique and health gives a report on what direction the experiment is heading. From damaging the skin to the putting his internal body organs into various risks of diseases such as liver failure, heart attack and many more. There's a brief appearance of Hugh Jackman, but don't expect more than that. It had no big impact, because the film's topic was much bigger than his part in the film. The film gave me some idea about how to deal with the food I consume. If you are concerned about your weight, particularly fat tummy, you will know what to do after watching this. I mean this does not guide you through, but opens your eyes. It points out where you are committing your mistake. It does not tell to completely cut off the sugary, but know your limit and behave. One of the best documentary films. Do whatever you want after watching this, but before that don't think to skip it. You can call it an inspirational, educational or a message deliverer, but this film has committed to highlight what went wrong with the modern day diet. And how the food industry is responding to all the accusations. But you should know what's better for you, so think twice before touching any sugar products. Especially be aware of fructose (who is the villain of this story), which might not equate to nicotine, but the consequences are. 9/10

  Read full review ↓

Production companies

Who made it

• 

  Madman Entertainment

  AU

• 

  Sprout Pictures

  GB

• OL

  Old Mates Productions

Key crew

• ProducerNick Batzias
• Camera TechnicianMark Hellinger
• Production DesignGareth Davies
• Executive ProducerSeth Larney
• Sound Effects EditorSimon Rosenberg
• Camera TechnicianCam Matheson
• FoleyAlex Francis
• Camera TechnicianThomas Hayes
• Sound Re-Recording MixerSimon Rosenberg
• ProducerPaul Wiegard
• EditorJane Usher
• Executive ProducerJason Sourasis
• ProducerDamon Gameau
• Co-ProducerVirginia Murray
• Visual Effects SupervisorSeth Larney
• Camera OperatorSeth Larney
• Additional EditorSasha Dylan Bell
• Executive ProducerPaul Wiegard
• Music SupervisorJemma Burns
• MusicianSimon Walbrook

Themes & keywords

What it's about, really

• experiment
• health
• food industry
• health food
• health documentary
• medical documentary

Release history · US

When it landed

• Theatrical2014-07-31PG

Also known as

International titles

• הסרט הזה על הסוכרIL
• SugarlandFR
• Zucchero! That Sugar FilmIT
• Voll verzuckertDE
• СахарRU
• 一部關於糖的電影CN
• あまくない砂糖の話JP