Dennis Harvey of '' Variety '' praised the lead performances of Noble and Fehr , adding : " '' Sugar '' sports the expected outre elements — sex , drugs , reckless self-destruction — but also has streaks of tenderness , pathos , and directorial skill ... Despite the tale ’s harsh aspects and eventual tragic turn , '' Sugar '' maintains an almost whimsical tenor that reflects Cliff ’s innocently accepting walk-on-the-wide-side perspective . " Michael Wilde , writing for '' The Advocate '' , praised the film 's performances , writing : " Both Fehr and Noble do excellent work and the supporting cast , including indie darling Sarah Polley , provides plenty of humor with their eccentric performances . As tasty as '' Sugar '' is , it tortures us exquisitely with the pains of first love and of losing someone to addiction . " Peter Knegt of '' Exclaim ! '' wrote : " Cliff is obviously headed for trouble , but the film works hard to avoid becoming a cautionary tale . '' Sugar '' plays down the melodrama , in that AIDS is barely mentioned , the acceptance from Cliff 's family is almost assumed and the excessive drug use is hardly condemned ( though it 's not glamorised either ) . And while at times it becomes unclear whether certain events are displayed merely for shock value ( some scenes border on soft-core pornography ) , it is clear that Sugar does an exceptional job at humanising characters that rarely receive this treatment . " The film received two nominations at the 2005 Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television 's 25th Genie Awards . Klinck , Laplante and Palmer were nominated in the Best Adapted Screenplay category , while Fehr was nominated for Best Supporting Actor
25th Genie Awards
25th Genie Awards
Sugar (2004 film)