Genre : Comedy / Adventure / Short / Fantasy

Runtime : 39min

Language : English

IMDb : 7.1/10

Rotten Tomatoes : 95%

Letterboxd : 4.0/5

Metacritic : 85%

Wikipedia : Link

Director : Wes Anderson

Cast

Benedict Cumberbatch, Ralph Fiennes, Dev Patel, Ben Kingsley, Richard Ayoade, David Gant

Plot

The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar is an adaptation of Roald Dahl’s short story about a wealthy, ennui-ridden man named Henry Sugar. Henry learns about a mystic (Imdad Khan) who can see without using his eyes through yogic meditation and desire to attain this ability for his own advantage—specifically, to cheat at gambling. Fascinated and greedy, Henry sets out to learn this skill himself, guided by the guru’s teachings, risking moral and physical obstacles. The story unfolds with Dahl himself (played by Ralph Fiennes) serving as narrator, interspersed with characters breaking the fourth wall, blending Dahl’s literary style with the whimsical visuals typical of Wes Anderson. Henry’s journey becomes less about gambling and more about what one does when given extraordinary power: whether one uses it for self-interest, entertainment, or something more meaningful. The short asks questions of surplus, purpose, and the thin line between spectacle and sincerity.