The Price of Sugar (2013)

Books have always been a rich source for movie adaptations. Often those who have read the book aren’t happy with the movie because part of the movie are different or have disappeared. Of course that’s something inherent to adaptations as it will never be possible to show all the details a book has. It is simply a different art form with its own rules. The Price of Sugar is based on the book with the same name and was written by Cynthia Mc Leod and is set during the time that the Dutch had conquered Surinam and were using slaves. The expectations amongst the fans of the book were high, especially because there aren’t many movie set in Surinam. When it became known that the movie wouldn’t be shot there, but in South Africa, many were shocked. The reason though was a practical one: Surinam simply didn’t have enough locations that could be used to bring the story to life. So is The Price of Sugar a successful adaptation?

The story is set in 18th century Surinam during slavery, but it isn’t the focus of the film. It is more about the relationship between Sarith (Gaite Jansen), a young white woman who basically has everything she wants, and her slave Mini-Mini (Yootha Wong-Loi-Sing). They can get along fine, but regularly Sarith does show Mini-Mini that she has to obey. This isn’t a movie about slavery, but one about love, personal relationships and the extremes someone is capable of. Jansen plays her role in a way which strongly reminded me of Scarlett O’Hara in Gone with the Wind. It is a despicable character “you love to hate” and like O’Hara she is a woman who wants to get a man any way possible.

So if you go into this movie expecting lots of imagery of slavery in Surinam, you will be disappointed. It is not what this movie is, it is an adaptation of a book. What I understood from those who have read the book is that the film follows the book quite well, with some details which have been changed. With beautiful sets, authentic clothing and beautifully shot images it was a movie I though was well worth my time, with the last half hour raised my blood pressure and completely convinced me.