The wonderful story of Henry Sugar

Wes Anderson brings a fascinating story to Netflix in the form of a short movie called The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar. It's about a rich man named Henry Sugar learns about a guru who can see without using his eyes, and then sets out to master the skill in order to cheat at gambling.

So if you're not a fan of Wes Anderson, you're not going to enjoy this short movie at all. It's quintessential Anderson, full of symmetry, awkwardly recited dialogue, stiff and odd characters, and a color palette of flat pastels. The movie only features a handful of actors, and they then take on multiple roles.

This starts off with Roald Dahl, played by Ralph Fiennes, narrating his story to us, and then the presentation begins transitioning into the characters speaking their parts directly to the camera while acting out their small motions. The presentation is very aware of an audience, and it uses dialogue quirks to draw peculiar mannerisms and performances. This also stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Ben Kingsley, Dev Patel, Richard Ayode, and Rupert Friend.

It's presented mainly in a one-to-one square ratio, but sometimes the frame shifts to the left or to the right, making the character who is normally centered in the frame now appear to the left or right of the screen. While this is a minor shift from what Anderson normally employs, it does provide some new visual interest, in addition to the immaculate and painstakingly designed sets and backgrounds. The narrative is delivered like a stage play, where we watch sets being rolled into view or out of the frame.

Characters walk through openings as more and more sets descend from the top, which then creates a wonderful sense of motion combined with impeccable timing and choreography. And then there are the sets themselves. Each is vibrant in color, but created in such a way that by changing the lighting from a warm, natural hue to just one single color, the entire set transforms and provides a completely new vibe and tone for that portion of the story.

If you've seen other Anderson films, you know that the dialogue delivery is purposeful with cadences that are carefully chosen to match the aesthetics of that presentation. Here, each line is breathlessly delivered with almost a staccato beat, making the come across mildly robotic and even devoid of emotion. They're recited matter-of-factly in an even and non-stop pace.

For me, I liked the oddness of this type of delivery. Had this been a feature-length film, that may have gotten old after a bit. But because this is only 40 minutes, it didn't outstay the welcome and it actually enhanced the storytelling.

There's another quirk to the dialogue delivery that made me chuckle at the commitment to the gag. There's a scene in which Dev Patel's character is reciting a portion of the story, and as he's narrating everybody's dialogue, when he gets to a portion that he would say, you know, the book, which is then spoken from his point of view, in that instance it has him say, I said. So every time Patel would say, I said, he would turn away from wherever he was looking and then stare directly at the camera to deliver those two words.

It's very different and almost unnerving at times, but it's also creative and I found it funny. Now I really appreciated the message and the moral of the story. As we watch Henry Sugar, who's played by Benedict Cumberbatch, he discovers his desire for riches through cheating at gambling may not be as rewarding as he thought, allowing him to re-examine his priorities and then create an uplifting portion for the narrative.

This is an extremely easy watch and a lot of fun, but probably only if you're a fan of Wes Anderson. I could see this being an utter chore to endure if you don't enjoy his works because the short film doubles down on just about every peculiar element Anderson is known for and then packs it into a relatively short runtime. The dialogue is smartly written and exceptionally delivered, creating a measured beat that could be timed with a metronome.

The visuals and set designs are beautifully constructed, providing meticulously crafted layers painted in vibrant and lively colors. I'm giving the movie a whooping of nine out of ten. The aesthetics won't be for everyone, but if you appreciate Anderson's eccentricities, definitely give this a watch.

Images gotten from IMDB