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The Price of Sugar

Name: The Price of Sugar
Director: Jean van de Velde
Released: 2013
Duration: 120 min

Representation Score

4.6/10

Fair

2013

Director

Jean van de Velde

Runtime

120 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

The film offers a strong critique of systemic exploitation by connecting eighteenth-century colonial structures with modern industrial capitalism. It shifts the focus away from Western consumerism to highlight the underrepresented populations in the Global South. By prioritizing the perspectives of workers in the Caribbean and South America, the documentary grants a significant role in driving the story to subjects of color. This transforms them from passive victims into central actors within a global critique of inequality. However, the film lacks representation for LGBTQ+ identities and does not utilize disability as a specific narrative tool. Additionally, it focuses primarily on the agricultural labor sector.

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Category Breakdown

Does The Price of Sugar have LGBTQ+ representation?

Minimal

The film focuses solely on the socioeconomic and historical dimensions of labor. There are no LGBTQ+ characters or narratives that challenge traditional assumptions about sexuality.

How does The Price of Sugar portray gender?

Fair

The film emphasizes the gendered nature of labor in plantation economies and modern agriculture. It centers the lived experiences of female laborers to challenge traditional domestic roles.

How racially and ethnically diverse is The Price of Sugar?

Excellent

The narrative excels by highlighting voices from the Global South, particularly those from Caribbean and South American contexts. It provides a significant role in driving the story to subjects of color through ethnographic footage.

How does The Price of Sugar represent religion and culture?

Excellent

The documentary uses post-colonial frameworks to critique Western consumer demand and corporate structures. It challenges the morality of global trade by examining the relationship between the West and producing nations.

Does The Price of Sugar include disability representation?

Minimal

While the film addresses the physical toll of labor, disability is not used as a central character arc or specific narrative device.

Present on Screen

Strong centering of voices from the Global South and Caribbean contexts.
Effective use of post-colonial frameworks to critique systemic inequality.
High ability to act granted to subjects of color through ethnographic footage.

Limited or Absent

Complete absence of LGBTQ+ characters or narratives challenging traditional assumptions about sexuality.
Lack of specific representation or character arcs centered on disability.
Limited focus on diverse gendered roles beyond the agricultural labor sector.

Official Synopsis

A story about two half-sisters life in the eighteenth century Suriname. There is Lynda, a white colonial and slave owner, and her slave Mini-Mini's. While Lynda is slowly embittered by the hard life in the colony, Mini-Mini gets a chance at her own happiness. The question is, if she dares to seize that chance, as this happiness is at the expense of her mistress and half sister?

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