THAT SUGAR FILM

Australia, 2014, 97 minutes, Colour.
Damon Gameau, Hugh Jackman, Stephen Fry, Brenton Thwaites, Isabel Lucas, Jessica Marais and many medical experts.
Directed by Damon Gameau.

It might sound like this film will have a sweet taste but it is designed to make audiences concerned about their propensity for sweet tastes and, especially, for consumption of sugar and fructose. This is a documentary, a very entertaining one, that examines the role of sugar in our diet, in our metabolism, and the consequences – with a look at how sugar is so strongly promoted in our commercial culture.

Some years ago, American documentary-maker, Morgan Spurlock, decided that he would film an experiment about diet and takeaway food, especially at McDonald’s? and other such franchises. It was called Supersize Me. He decided that the focus of the experiment would be his Supersizing every order and eat just this for a month to see what happened to him. Needless to say, he put on weight became unwell, certainly needed some medical checkups and processes for getting back to normal.

Damon Gameau is an actor who has been a number of Australian and television programs, generally the cheeky and cheerful character, quick on the draw with his remarks and cracks. This means that he is very well suited to the role he has set up for himself, not exactly doing a Spurlock, but something very similar with sugar.

He genially introduces himself and his girlfriend who is pregnant. Since he wrote the film as well as directing, it is clear that he has strong views on sugar intake and its results. He does get a panel of experts, blood, the diet, the general health, who are interviewed during the film – and they are introduced with our bit of animation and giving them superhero names. They are wary about his experiment.

The film uses an entertaining device for the expert talking heads, and there are many of them, but he generally has quick bites which bring home the points – but they all appear and are seen within frameworks, machines, which can be moved, turned over… So we are continually alert to what these experts have two offer.

The film uses a number of celebrities to give us background, and sugar information. Hugh Jackman turns up and does some sand drawings to illustrate the origins of sugar in this part of the world, eventually going to India, making its way to Europe where a couple of centuries ago it was looked on as a specialty by the wealthy. Stephen Fry turns up to give us a humorous talk about the different kinds of sugar, the glucose that put energy into our system, the sucrose and its effects and a warning about fructose and its absorption in the liver, turning to fat, increasing at triglycerides… Later, up-and-coming Australian actor, Brenton Thwaites serves as a model to indicate what is happening in our interiors and the damage that too much sugar can do to the liver, to the heart, to the bloodstream.

The information Gameau gets for the experiment is that the sugar intake will be the equivalent of 40 teaspoonfuls of sugar per day. And it is immediately alarming as he begins, that his first breakfast cereal and juice is more than a third of the teaspoonfuls already. As he continues, he finds ways of adding the sugar even to a chicken lunch! Within some days he is put on several kilos and finds his mood is changing, some lethargy…

Over a decade ago he had contact with a group of aboriginal people at Mia Wiru in the Northern Territory, especially in a community whose medical adviser had changed their diet, especially as regards sugar. But, with the advent of the supermarkets and the bombarding advertising, the increased intake of sugar was doing harm.

Next, he went off to the United States and, while obesity had been mentioned, there are quite a few off-putting close-ups of obesity. He is still having the equivalent of 40 teaspoonfuls a day, finding smoothies, drinks, and, alarmingly finding that such a drinks Mountain Dew has more sugar than Coke or Pepsi and more caffeine. In fact, he accompanies a dentist who travels around the state of Kentucky working with locals, including a young man who has been drinking an enormous amount of Mountain Dew since he was a little child and his teeth have either fallen out or rotted. We may not want to look at the close-ups of his mouth, but this is a salutary tale. Gameau also finds a pill that one can put in one’s mouth which will sweeten food with a more savoury taste – he even tries it with a chilli but says it doesn’t work.

In fairness, he decides to interview a scientist who has been working on sugar research for some time. He is not alarmed, and it seems his studies have been financed by Coca-Cola?.

He has been keeping in touch with his girlfriend by Skype and, on his return, as large, he suggests, as she is in her pregnancy, she gives birth and he is delighted with his daughter. With the help of the experts, he gets back to normal size, and gets to editing this film so that we can share his extremely cautionary experience.

Older people probably need to see this film and act on it. Parents certainly need to see the film to check on their children’s diets and the effect, especially of their brain capacities and attention at school. (A school kit is available.)


1. An interesting film? Entertaining? Didactic? Necessary because of world consumption of sugar and its deleterious effects?

2. Damon Gameau and his interest in the theme, producing, writing, directing?

3. His screen presence, humorous, serious, persuasive? Australian tone? An Australian male, younger adult, memories of childhood, his girlfriend and her pregnancy? The decision to make the film?

4. Audiences identifying with the issues, the sugar issue, health? Capitalism and the promotion of sugar in products? The need for regulation? The role of advertising and persuasion? The need to control obesity, heart problems, diabetes?

5. The appearance of Hugh Jackman: with an audience, on stage, the sand drawing, the history of sugar, Australia and Papua New Guinea, Asia, Europe, the 18th century and the wealthy, the pervading use of sugar?

6. Stephen Fry: his amusing and informative lecture about the different sugars, glucose, sucrose, the dangers of fructose?

7. Brenton Thwaites: the illustration of the role of sugar in the body, especially of the liver?

8. The range of experts quoted, the close experts to Damon and his calling them heroes, the sketches? For blood, for overall health, diet? The warnings about the risks? the tests, checking, at the end?

9. The entertaining device of having all the experts appear within particular frameworks and their being able to be turned over…?

10. 40 teaspoonfuls of sugar, the visuals, the two months? The statistics about sugar intake?

11. Damon’s choices, ordinary life, the spoonfuls, the breakfast and even with serial, yoghurts and juice a big number of spoonfuls?

12. The range of sugar products, especially drinks, Coca-Cola?, Pepsi-Cola?, Mountain Dew – and its amount of caffeine? The advertising claims, the nature of promotion, the companies commissioning research – for their own benefits?

13. The narrative, Damon confiding in the audience, his putting on weight, the need to exercise, the deteriorating health, his mood swings, attention deficit, over the weeks? The explanations? The comic touches?

14. The importance of his visit to the aboriginal town, their experience of health, the introduction of supermarkets, more sugar in the diet, deterioration and less achievement than previously?

15. Damon going to the United States, New York, drinking the smoothie to get over jetlag? Going to Kentucky, encountering the dentist, travelling around with him, the teenager, his deteriorating teeth, the amount of Mountain Dew that he had drunk? The close-ups of his mouth, the treatment by the dentist, the effect on the boy, on his mother? But not learning the lesson about drinks?

16. The American experts, the range, different opinions, pros and cons? Damon going to the conference and meeting the expert?

17. Coming home, his girlfriend pregnant, giving birth, Damon as happy father?

18. The health check, the process of restoring his health?

19. Two months experience, the sugar intake and its effect? The message about commercialism and the use of sugar, the cautions?