I have only faint memories of speaking and thinking in Spanish. I spent most of the first two years of my life around my Spanish speaking grandmother, and subconsciously must have took it all in. Then I was ripped from her arms (literally) and moved upstate to a small suburb and said goodbye to any hope of continuing my Spanish lessons. I remember vaguely in Pre-k thinking in Spanish and having to stop my myself from ordering  jugo and leche on the cafeteria line. But that was all lost quickly as my parents chose instead to make English my first language. – a choice I questioned and detested to this day. Until I saw the new movie Sugar recently.

Sugar tells the story of   Miguel Santos, a.k.a Azucar, a Dominican pitcher from San Pedro de Macoris, who struggles to make it to the big leagues and pull himself and his family out of poverty. Playing professionally at the Kansas City Knights baseball academy, Miguel finally gets his break at age 19 when he advances to the United States’ minor league system. But he learns there that all that glitters isn’t gold. There are many challenges facing a young immigrant player. One being a huge language barrier  and racism that comes with it. Secondly, the pressure of playing your best for fear that at any moment you can be replaced. Watching that fictional character live through that gave me a new respect for those who do it now in real life.

Watching Azucar order french toast unwillingly everyday because it is the only thing he knew how to say jabbed me softly in my heart. Seeing how Americans ridiculed him for trying hit me harder. I finally understood what my parents meant when they thought teaching me English was the best way for me to survive here. They were trying to protect me from the hardships and discrimination they faced growing up, and saw their parents face. I could finally appreciate the choice they made without my consent.

Whether you are a baseball lover or not, Sugar has something to offer everyone. For a first time actor, Algenis Perez Soto (Miguel) does a great job and I hope to see more from him in the future. Check out Sugar when it hits theaters this Friday, April 3rd.