by John Townsend

There is something altogether unsatisfying about Spoonful of Sugar, the début feature from Mercedes Bryce Morgan. There are messages here we’re supposed to read and dots to be connected, and yet, muddled as they are, you’re never quite clear which messages or dots to focus on.

Taking time out from her studies, Millicent (Morgan Saylor) takes a job looking after sickly child Johnny (Danilo Crovetti). Johnny has multiple allergies, is largely nonverbal, and his parents seem to be at the end of their tether due to his tantrums. But as the film develops, you begin to wonder who really is carrying around some unresolved issues.

Spoonful of Sugar goes out of its way trying to shock and unsettle you. Millicent’s age and origins are guarded until late in the film, which leads to slight discomfort given some of her actions and intimations, while Jonny’s parents indulge in awkward, often aggressive sex at random moments. Millicent indulges daily drops of LSD – the trippy scenes are rather annoying – and even shares some with her young charge. At the same time, there is a constant undercurrent of violence and threat emanating from all the characters. But it feels like there is too much going on. As the story develops and revelations emerge, you’re left with a sense that nothing quite adds up, that perhaps one of the multiple plot threads would have been sufficient, while the finale is largely unjustified.

Although Morgan does a decent job creating an atmosphere of stifling malcontent, you never feel fully immersed in the story. In the end, it’s mostly just unpleasant characters doing unpleasant things to each other.

Spoonful of Sugar is available on Shudder.