Director Fernando Meirelles in “Sugar”

Director Fernando Meirelles in “Sugar”

From one crime saga to another

April 10, 2024

By Kyle Mullin

Photo by Apple TV+
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Sugar, AppleTV+'s new neo-noir series, is an exciting departure for Fernando Meirelles. After all, the Brazilian writer made his name co-directing a very different crime, City of God. That film's portrayal of gang-ridden Rio de Janeiro – shot in a jerky style with untrained, intelligent actors – was unflinching and unprecedented enough to earn Meirelles a cult following, critical acclaim and an Oscar nomination.

But with Sugar, works with some of Hollywood's biggest names, such as Colin Farrell (fresh off his own Oscar for Banshees of Inisherin), and veteran character actors Amy Ryan and James Cromwell, who both appeared in instantly memorable, turn-stealing scenes. Farrell's titular John Sugar roots the show in relatability and vulnerability, however, as he investigates a murder in modern-day Los Angeles with a saintly gentleness that defies the archetype of the tough private eye.

Meirelles spoke to us via Zoom about film noir to prepare for the series, the Easter eggs and homages that await fans of these classic films in all eight episodes, and how he embraced mistakes and challenged the fundamentals of filmmaking while was working at Sugar.

Kyle Mullin (Under the radar): What drew you to this project?

Fernando Meirelles: It was Colin Farrell. I was supposed to shoot a long film for six months, but that project fell apart. So I called my agent and said, “I'm ready to shoot! Find me something.” He came to me two weeks later with Sugar. I told him I knew nothing about film noir researchers. This is not my world, Los Angeles crime.

But he suggested I talk to Colin, who was already tied up, just to see what I thought. It was only supposed to be a 20 minute call, but we ended up talking for an hour and a half, like we were best friends, instantly. I admire the way he likes to create and how he develops his characters. So I joined because I wanted to work with him.

But I was very honest with Mark Protosevich, the showrunner [screenwriter for The Cell and Thor]. I told him, sure, I've seen some film noir, but I don't know much about it, so you have to teach me. And he sent me a really long email with all the movies I needed to see and why, and what I needed to look for in each one. Then I spent 20 days watching one of these movies a day, like an intensive film noir festival for myself. So I prepared.

What did you like about being introduced to this genre?

I was trying to understand the characters. And I realized that Sugar is very different. Most noir detectives are very cynical. They don't talk. And that's the fun. Sugar is the opposite. He is elegant. He cares about everyone.

Also, watching these movies, I noticed the way they frame things and how they create suspense and pacing. Then I realized it Sugar The script is full of lines taken from all these movies. And that's pretty fun. Like a moment where Sugar is followed by a black van. Then he comes over and says, “Hey, you're a terrible tail. I can spot you from a mile away.'' When I was watching The big sleep, there is exactly the same scene. It was a lot of fun finding this in Mark's scripts. It will be an added pleasure for fans of the genre to recognize these moments.

Plus, you cut to specific scenes from these classic film noirs at key moments Sugar, like a hip-hop producer trying out a beat.

That wasn't in the script. I got the idea just before I started in the cutting room. My editor and I decided that we would use these clips to show what is on Sugar's mind. Because, to me, Sugar is like an anthropologist. We, in Brazil, studied tribes in the Amazon. Sugar would use movies to understand the behavior of humanity. Showing the clips of the movie would show what is in his mind when he takes certain actions.

Based on what you said earlier, it sounds like Colin is as meticulous as his character. How exactly did he impress you during this project?

He is very creative and does not try to control himself. He just lets it go. I like that he likes to repeat the same scene. There are actors who do one or two takes and then say, “I missed it, let's move on.” But Colin will do it again and again, and each time he will deal with it in a different way. In one take he'll be shouting his lines or in another whisper. And I like to keep the scene moving and not break the momentum. So he would roll the whole thing, and at the end he would say, “Don't cut!” Then go back and say, “Action” as to himself, and then play the scene a different way. And I would watch from the screen, asking myself “What will be the surprise now?” As a director, it's a pleasure to be entertained like this. Then, in the cutting room, we could shape all this wonderful material that he gave us.

I really want to work with him again. It was such a great process. I learned so much.

What are the benefits of this continuous download process?

I don't break scenes. So when you watch it, sometimes the continuity will be wrong. He jumps. Because I set up three cameras and have the actors play the whole scene like a play. Then I'll just zoom in or out or change camera positions on the fourth or fifth take. Sometimes I'll need specific coverage for a particular line of dialogue, but mostly I'll just run the whole scene. Actors love it because they're really into it. When you play, you get warm. If the director doesn't cut, you can just go back and have the energy to re-run the scene. But as soon as you say cut, the makeup artist comes and the light guy has to change something. You will stop for six, seven minutes and you will calm down and lose the moment.

Have you developed this method recently? Or is it something you've done since then City of God?

I had to do this City of God because I wasn't using trained actors. I couldn't give them seats or they would think about it. So we just found a way to shoot, let them do whatever they want. And I worked with César Charlone, the same DP [director of photography] from City of God on Sugar. And the great thing is that it has no bleachers, no lights. The set is like an ordinary room. I can shoot the actor 360 degrees. If we had bases and equipment city ​​of god, would distract the actors or get in their way. Since then, I've been shooting like this.

So I had developed this process. But up Sugar, I also did something that was new to me. I put cameras over each actor's shoulders and didn't maintain continuity or consistent eye line between characters, which is one of the first things you're taught not to do in film school. You will watch and something will be seen from one scene to another. Also, the way I shoot is very fast, so I'll have time to, say, do a scene with characters standing and then do it again with them sitting down. Then I'll cut from one to the other in the middle of a line of dialogue. So there is a big discontinuity in the cut. But I think he brings a unique energy to the scenes.

Are there additional benefits to this decoupling, perhaps on a thematic level?

Well, we have a lot of scenes in this series that have pages of dialogue in the series. Playing with continuity can add more pace to a dialogue scene that can drag.

My favorite scene Sugar shot very slowly – one that focuses on Sugar taking his beloved antique car, a bright blue convertible, for a spin, each frame lovingly laconic.

Yes, but this car [1963 Corvette convertible] it's so beautiful, isn't it? We were all surprised when they brought it on set. And Colin wanted to buy it! By shooting it in careful detail, I wanted to reveal the car as if it were a character in the story. Which one is, right? The reveal must be big, because somehow the series is Sugar and that big blue car.

Sugar airs weekly on Apple TV+ every Friday with the first two episodes premiering on April 5, 2024.