Sockerexperimentet

A very sad (and true) story where we follow the intake Johanna at a home for people with learning difficulties around the 1940s. She's being one out of many to take part in an experiment eating unusually large amounts of sugar and fat. This was done in order to make a correlation between calories to caries resulting in declining dental and overall health for the participants who weren't even able to give their consent.

The film has a slow pace, following a classic Swedish style. The acting is good and credible, especially from the patients. In its core it's a story about friendship and love behind the cold reality where pride and a discrimination against the mentally challenged gets to decide what's right or wrong.

I recommend!

This movie is based on true events. Vipeholm Hospital was inhabited by patients with intellectual disabilities. The sugar experiment was a part of the Vipeholm experiments. A lot of sugar was introduced in the hospital food. Many patients suffered. Their dental health became very bad. Eventually the hospital was shut down. Now you can find Vipan Secondary School in the former hospital buildings.

We meet Johanna in this movie. She is a patient at Vipeholm Hospital. She is in love with Vilgot, one of the other patients. Both participate in the sugar experiment. It doesn´t take long before Vilgot gets seriously ill.

I dislike dangerous experiments. And the sugar experiment must have been extremely dangerous, especially without the consent from the patients. Almost everyone in the hospital staff treats the patients badly. And the mean hospital employees have, if you ask me, a clear message to the patients. The message is: "you are nothing more than laboratory rats to us".

I like Johanna´s and Vilgot´s sweet relationship. I can see and feel that they really care about each other. But I would have liked more clarity about their families. Where are their parents during the sugar experiment? Does Johanna or Vilgot have any siblings? Why did they end up at Vipeholm Hospital?

All in all, I think that "The Sugar Experiment" is an interesting, strong and important movie. Avoid it if you are extremely sensitive. Watch it if you are interested in the theme of this movie.