While the extremely wealthy and compulsive gambler Henry Sugar (Benedict Cumberbatch) waits for his friend Sir William W., he ambles aimlessly around his room looking for a book he can read. He then discovered a small exercise book by Dr. Chatterjee (Dev Patel) on the life of Imhrat Khan (Ben Kingsley), a performer who can see without his eyes.
Henry Sugar thinks that Khan’s ability will help him win games in casinos. So he goes through the same training described in the book to also gain the same power. After three years and three months of concentrated work, Henry Sugar can now read the back of a card in five seconds.
He quickly amassed a huge amount of wealth from gambling because of it. But despite his great success, Henry Sugar was puzzled by the little satisfaction he felt. There was no thrill, no suspense, and no danger of losing anymore. Could it be that his newfound ability somewhat altered him inside?
Wes Anderson’s visual style is usually meant for big crowds and big screens. He does not strike me as a director who will work for streaming platforms like Netflix because his work can haul millions of dollars. But in an unusual turn of events, Anderson and Netflix will release four short films adapting the story of Roald Dahl, starting with The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar.
For those unfamiliar with Wes Anderson’s style, it’s quite different from the TikTok trend we see online. It is true that he’s fond of symmetry, but the true beauty of an Anderson film is in the details.
Like in The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, the attention is all on the production design of the movie, which includes the costume, the props, and the way everything is shot. The location set itself is like a play, with the physical world moving with the actors in every transition. The colors are flat yet appealing to the eyes and allusive enough to give the story a whimsical, dreamy, and surreal feeling. Also, staying true to his trademark, all dialogues are uttered monotonously and at such a breakneck pace. Anderson is not really a show-not-tell person, as almost all of his films have narration in them, but there's always a rhythm to the delivery that adds to the overall appeal of his films.
On the other hand, Roald Dahl (played by Ralph Fiennes in the film) likes to play around with structures in an attempt to immerse his readers. Despite writing primarily children's novels like Matilda, he's famous for having a dark sense of humor, the same kind of comedy that Anderson loves to promulgate in his stories. Needless to say, Roald Dahl and Wes Anderson are perfect for each other. I think there’s no other director that can translate Dahl’s exaggerated and quirky writing into visuals as well as Anderson. Besides, this is not the first time that Anderson has adapted a Dahl story. In 2009, he turned The Fantastic Mr. Fox into an animated film, and it got rave reviews upon its release for its wit, its beauty, and its relevance.
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar is not an animated film, but it might as well be since there are a lot of elements in the story that can be enhanced with the help of animation, such as Henry Sugar’s many exciting travels and disguises. But for an auteur like Anderson, there’s always a way to do it. So in one scene, Benedict Cumberbatch flaunts his acting skills as he takes on different personas, from a pilot to a Texan to a woman. It’s the kind of shtick that acts as story progression and visual humor.
For sure, The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar will draw some criticism since it feels boxed in, and there’s definitely something more that can be done with the story. It can be more visually entertaining; maybe the moral of the story can have more impact if the movie is shot in a more dramatic way. But then again, despite some clear imperfections, everything is still wonderful, and everything still feels right with Wes Anderson leading the way.
4.5/5
