Immigrant dramas can offer a uniquely romantic image of America—but as in any romance, there’s heartache and adjustment. Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, who made their dramatic feature debut with the extraordinary Half Nelson (2006), turn their attention to a baseball hopeful from the Dominican Republic (Algenis Perez Soto) as he gets a chance to play minor-league ball in small-town Iowa. Isolated by his lack of English and his black skin, Miguel “Sugar” Santos studies his elderly host couple, both superfans, and covets their wholesome Christian daughter (Ellary Porterfield); their world begins to seem even more inaccessible once his fortunes on the pitcher’s mound begin to decline. As in the earlier movie, this is a drama of shifting values and compromised ideals, arriving at a view of life that’s wise, complicated, and tinged with melancholy. R, 114 min. Mon 9/28, 7:30 PM. Presented by the After Hours Film Society; a discussion will follow the screening.
