Spoonful of Sugar

What did I just watch. I cannot remember the last time I’ve seen a movie as surreal, as dedicated to keeping the viewer as off-balance as the characters are, as insane and trippy as Spoonful Of Sugar. There are not enough adjectives in the English language for “weird” to describe it. So, LSD plays a big role in this movie, as the main character, Millicent, uses micro-doses to treat … something. The phrase “it’s like a drug trip” gets over-used when describing surreal experiences, but there is no better phrase for this movie, since drugs are central to it. Millicent — who is buttoned-up to an almost puritanical degree — gets hired as a babysitter for a kid that may or may not have a dangerous number of allergies, as well as unspecified neurological conditions that render him mute and prone to psychotic and dangerous mood swings. The parents have an odd relationship, lustful but combative. And that is all I can tell you without going into spoilers, and I refuse to spoil this movie. All I can say is that the first two acts are very slow burn, but also straight out of its gourd, and then the third act hits and says “hold my beer and strap in”. I am very rarely left speechless or truly stunned by a movie, but this one had my jaw on the floor so much, I needed a hi-lo to pick it back up. The visuals, the music, the acting, and especially the direction all come together to make you go “what the hell …?!?”, and then later, “WHAT THE HELL?!?”. Everybody in this movie is committed past the point of no return here, and I was here for every moment of it. Can I recommend this to everybody? No. It is a very slow build, and a weird one too, not to mention really horny. Sex plays a huge role in this too, and not in a voyeuristic way or a titillating way or an exploitative way. It’s just … there, and frequent, and important to the movie. Prospective viewers need to know they’re getting a movie that will push the boundaries of your comfort and will keep your eyebrows permanently arched. But if you’re up for a challenge, you won’t regret watching this.