Searching for Sugar Man: A Movie Review
The Film:Searching for Sugar ManReleased in 2012Directed and Written by Malik BendjelloulRecommended by Practice Members, Jon and Karisa.Three Sentence Summary:1) Sixto Rodriguez is an American folk singer who is practically unknown in the U.S.2) His music mysteriously becomes wildly popular in heavily censored Apartheid South Africa of the 1970's3) Even more mysterious than the popularity of his music in South Africa is the anonymity of Rodriguez himselfReview:How often has someone recommended a film and I smile and think, "great, I'll get to it at some point." Apparently I don't really mean it based on how many recommended films are never seen. Somehow my friend Jon managed to sell me quickly on this one. He simply had to say South Africa. I have long been intrigued by this nation. I remember watching the scant news coverage while in college in the early 80's. It was fascinating. How could a modern country institutionalized racism? I get that our nation has its own racial problems, but to have a centrally controlled, censored, politically isolated biracial country in an increasingly globalized economy, seemed like a real living dystopia. Mandella was in jail, and President Botha was as defiant as ever. What a strange thing. North Korea is the closest remaining parallel, as far as being isolated, mysterious, and wrong. South Africa of the Apartheid era was fascinating to say the least.Against this backdrop an incredible series of events unfolds in this excellent documentary. Rodriguez is a marginalized American folk singer from Detroit. He has two albums to his credit, that largely remain unknown to Americans. A bootleg copy of his first album, COLD FACTS, becomes a legend in South Africa. According to the film, the album eventually sold a half a million copies, and Rodriguez was completely unaware that in a span of twenty years he had become a folk legend and the voice of both whites and blacks in South Africa yearning for a better day. His lyrics spoke directly to them. They had found their voice.How does something like this happen?Who is this mysterious Rodriguez?Two South African journalists that were captivated by this music as teenagers relentlessly pursue the man behind the music; and legends abound.The biggest surprise to this film is Rodriguez's music . The almost hypnotic spell cast by Rodriguez's voice, guitar, and at times orchestration, is delightful. It catches the spirit of the times perfectly. The music, which forms the soundtrack of the entire documentary, is worth the price of the rental. (We got it at the library). I get why this album had/has such enduring appeal. This story has enduring appeal too.Two mysteries remain unresolved in my mind. How is it that Rodriguez and his music were ignored in the U.S.? And how is it that this film won the Academy Award for Best Documentary in 2013 and yet remains largely ignored? Something is just not right. See it for yourself and let me know what you think.FIVE Stars!Thanks Jon and KarisaCheersks