Review of Searching for Sugar Man (2012) by Ross B — 17 May 2013

Malik Bendjelloul directs this very personal documentary about Rodriguez, a failed musician in the States who unknowingly was one of the greatest selling artists in South Africa. Sixto Rodriguez, a Detroit folk musician, only made 2 albums in the late 1960s and early 1970s that, while critically praised, barely sold in the States and lead to him being dropped from his label.

Unbeknownst to him, the album had somehow found its way to South Africa, where it became the soundtrack to the anti-Apartheid movement. This mysterious musician was presumed dead by his thousands of fans across the sea until two fans began to try and find out what happened to him in the 1990s.

The film is absolutely amazing to watch and created with such love for its subject. It is amazing to think that this man, who America never even bothered to listen to, was actually a huge cultural force in another part of the world.

The music itself is actually really good and worth the revival. In the end, Bendjelloul created a film that shows the power of music on a society while at the same time highlighting a man who seems to be content in his simple and modest life even though he is a huge star somewhere else.

I highly recommend every music fans watch this and learn who Rodriguez is.