''That Sugar Film'' is a 2014 Australian documentary directed by and starring

Damon Gameau Damon Gameau is an Australian actor, director, and producer, known for his documentaries '' That Sugar Film'' and '' 2040''. Gameau has also appeared in a number of award-winning TV shows and films, such as ''Love My Way'', '' The Tracker'' an ...

. The film looks at hidden sugar in foods and the

effect Effect may refer to: * A result or change of something ** List of effects ** Cause and effect, an idiom describing causality Pharmacy and pharmacology * Drug effect, a change resulting from the administration of a drug ** Therapeutic effect, a ...

it can have on the human body.

Plot

The film follows Gameau's experiment on himself, changing from his normal diet containing no refined sugar to a 'health-conscious' diet low in fat but high in sugar, equivalent to 160 grams (40 tsp) of sugar per day. As a result, Gameau gained weight, grew lethargic, and developed

fatty liver disease Fatty liver disease (FLD), also known as hepatic steatosis, is a condition where excess fat builds up in the liver. Often there are no or few symptoms. Occasionally there may be tiredness or pain in the upper right side of the abdomen. Complicat ...

. The sugar diet was selected such that his calorie intake was not increased from his normal diet. Interviews with experts attribute this change to the high level of sugar he was ingesting, and in particular suggest that

fructose Fructose, or fruit sugar, is a Ketose, ketonic monosaccharide, simple sugar found in many plants, where it is often bonded to glucose to form the disaccharide sucrose. It is one of the three dietary monosaccharides, along with glucose and galacto ...

may be the main culprit. It is suggested that

artificial sweetener A sugar substitute is a food additive that provides a sweetness like that of sugar while containing significantly less food energy than sugar-based sweeteners, making it a zero-calorie () or low-calorie sweetener. Artificial sweeteners may be d ...

s may be no better. The viewers are introduced to the " bliss point", a term coined in the 1960s which applies here to the amount of sugar you can add to a food to make it optimally desirable. Adding more sugar beyond the "bliss point" leads to a significant drop in desirability. Following the experiment, he returned to his previous diet, and the ill effects were largely and quickly reversed.

Cast

In addition to Gameau in the lead, the cast includes

Hugh Jackman Hugh Michael Jackman (born 12 October 1968) is an Australian actor. Beginning in theatre and television, he landed his breakthrough role as James "Logan" Howlett / Wolverine in the 20th Century Fox ''X-Men'' film series (2000–2017), a role ...

Stephen Fry Stephen John Fry (born 24 August 1957) is an English actor, broadcaster, comedian, director and writer. He first came to prominence in the 1980s as one half of the comic double act Fry and Laurie, alongside Hugh Laurie, with the two starring ...

Isabel Lucas Isabel Lucas (born 29 January 1985) is an Australian actress and model. She is mainly known for her roles in '' Home and Away'' (2003–06), '' Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen'' (2009), ''Daybreakers'' (2009), ''The Waiting City'' (2009), ' ...

, and

Brenton Thwaites Brenton Thwaites (born 10 August 1989) is an Australian actor. Beginning his career in his home country in 2011, he had a starring role on the series ''Slide'' and later appeared on the soap opera ''Home and Away''. Since moving to the United S ...

Gary Taubes Gary Taubes (born April 30, 1956) is an American journalist, writer, and low-carbohydrate / high-fat (LCHF) diet advocate. His central claim is that carbohydrates, especially sugar and high-fructose corn syrup, overstimulate the secretion of insu ...

Michael Moss Michael Moss is an American journalist and author. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting in 2010, and was a finalist for the prize in 2006 and 1999. He is also the recipient of the Gerald Loeb Award for Large Newspapers and ...

and Dr. Kimber Stanhope gave interviews which are included, and

Depeche Mode Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in Basildon, Essex, in 1980. The band currently consists of Dave Gahan (lead vocals and co-songwriting) and Martin Gore (keyboards, guitar, co-lead vocals and main songwriting). Depeche ...

Peter Gabriel Peter Brian Gabriel (born 13 February 1950) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and activist. He rose to fame as the original lead singer of the progressive rock band Genesis. After leaving Genesis in 1975, he launched ...

and

Florence and the Machine Florence and the Machine (stylised as Florence + the Machine) are an English indie rock band that formed in London in 2007, consisting of lead vocalist Florence Welch, keyboardist Isabella Summers, guitarist Rob Ackroyd, harpist Tom Monger, and ...

feature on the soundtrack. Gameau's partner, actress

Zoe Tuckwell-Smith Zoë Tuckwell-Smith is an Australian actress. She is best known for her role as Bec Gilbert on the Australian television show ''Winners & Losers''. Early life Zoë Tuckwell-Smith was born in Sydney. Shortly after, her parents returned to Bang ...

, appears in the film while pregnant with their daughter, who makes an appearance after being born during production.

Reception

American reviews for the film were generally positive. According to a review by ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', the "breezy blend of computer imagery, musical numbers, sketches and offbeat field trips" made "the nutrition lessons easy to digest". ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'' concluded that "Gameau clearly has good intentions, and generally succeeds in sweetening a potentially bitter subject for easy public consumption." However, a ''

Slate Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. It is the finest grained foliated metamorphic rock. ...

'' review insisted "That Sugar Film is so highly processed, and so laden with chintzy, artificial arguments, that its many weaknesses are hidden from consumers." A local Australian review in ''

The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...

'' claimed that the film is "not rigorous enough to prove anything at all". However, the content of the article seems rather oriented towards ad-hominem attacks which have little to do with the substance of the subject. An article from

SBS Australia The Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) is an Australian hybrid-funded public service broadcaster. About 80 percent of funding for the company is derived from the Australian Government. SBS operates six TV channels ( SBS, SBS Viceland, SBS World ...

discussing the film's legacy describes it as "One of Australia’s most successful docos". The film is recommended as an educational resource by ''Documentary Australia Foundation'', which notes "THAT SUGAR FILM will forever change the way you think about ‘healthy’ food".

References

* *

External links

Official website
* {{Use dmy dates, date=June 2019 Documentary films about sugar Australian documentary films 2014 films Madman Entertainment 2010s English-language films