Venice 2026: ‘Too Much Sugar’ Depicts the Real Power of Storytelling

"Ryan and I share a basic desire to correct the mistakes of our deadbeat fathers and stop the generational hurt by being good fathers ourselves." Watching films every single day and recommending films for a living has made me rather unsure if cinema is actually having the positive impact that we all want to believe it is. Are people really changing after watching new films? Are they actually learning more about the world? Are they really growing & evolving after they experience new perspectives from other people? Thankfully there is one film that is capturing this change happening. Too Much Sugar is a unique documentary hybrid film created and directed by American filmmaker Robert Greene. It just premiered at the 2026 Venice Film Festival in the Orizzonti section though it really feels much more like a Sundance film through and through. It's a clever meta filmmaking concept about addressing toxic masculinity by having two manly papas from a small town in Missouri confront themselves by making a film about themselves and their families. It didn't entirely wow me, but it's solid overall. As time passes I still find myself thinking about it and these families. Too Much Sugar is the latest creation from doc filmmaker Robert Greene, known for his boundary-pushing, undefinable, hybrid doc creations including the films Actress, Kate […]