'Sugar Babies' Review: An Intimate Look at the Hustle of Sex Work, Minus the Sex

Only in a world with a growing gap between the haves and the have-nots could a Sundance documentary like Sugar Babies exist. While the title may give you the mental image of an Instagram baddie pouting and flirting with the camera to collect mountains of money from gullible old men, Sugar Babies gives a very realistic look at the state of hustle culture today. Set in the small town of Ruston, Louisiana, director Rachel Fleit hones in on a group of adolescents who are out of high school but still trying to find where they fit in the world. A part of that struggle is finding a way to survive in a world that's becoming increasingly expensive and difficult to live in. A subtle examination of poverty and youth, Fleit highlights this community and, without judgment, shows what it takes to survive in modern-day America.