Review XLIII
Searching for Sugar Man (2012)
Sixto Rodriguez has been quoted as the "Mexican Bob Dylan", a revolutionary poet of his time. His songs were highly praised by the producers of his albums, and he propelled into stardom - but he never knew until twenty years after the fact. This was the story Malik Bendejelloul decided to make his 2012 documentary on entitled Searching for Sugar Man. The film has been nominated for an Oscar, so that just meant I had to see it.
While Rodriguez never got popular in the United States, his two albums, Cold Fact and Coming from Reality, were regarded as gems to the citizens of South Africa. However, it was only after two huge fans, Stephen 'Sugar' Segerman and Craig Bartholomew Strydom, heard he had committed suicide that they decided to try and find out who Rodriguez was. Rodriguez was not dead, but he had believed his career as a musician had died after the failure of his second album, until he was made aware that he was an Elvis Presley figure in South Africa. The two finally reached him and his music days were revived in consequence.
The story about Sixto Rodriguez, I find, is really inspiring. This man had believed his musical career was over, and twenty years later, he was told he had been, unknowingly, super popular in South Africa. It seems like a very surreal story, and that's why it's such a great idea for a documentary. It's an interesting story to tell, and one that, in passing, would seem almost like an urban legend of sorts. This film definitely gets points for originality. Even though I had never heard of Rodriguez prior to this, I nonetheless really liked it! The interviews were really engaging, and I enjoyed listening to everyone talk about this man of mystery, whether it be the producers who really thought he was a genius, to a fellow coworker of his from recently, to his own children. The documentary starts off with this man of mystery, explaining how no one knew who he was. We get the history of how his albums provided a hope to destroy a constrained society in South Africa and how no one knew who this Rodriguez actually was. It's only once we actually get the two men, 'Sugar' and Craig, get to the part of their story where they finally talk to Rodriguez do we meet the legend itself. It follows a kind of linear pattern, and this makes it interesting throughout. It made the viewer ask who this man was, just like South Africa did, and when the two adventurers find him, so does the viewer, in a sense.
This doesn't count in the documentary, but Rodriguez himself seems like a really modest and kind man, so I like that a documentary was made about him. People like seeing the underdog rise above expectations. This film tells this story, so again, wise choice.
The way the documentary is filmed is also beautiful. The way the city names came up and disappeared was creative, and the cinematography was just nice. It seems like a meaningless detail to bring up in a documentary, but when something is appealing to the eyes, it deserves to be mentioned. This just adds to the foundation of the film. Not to mention Rodriguez has some pretty good music! If there's one thing I love thanking a film for, it would be in introducing to me some really good tunes. While I wouldn't go so far as to call him a Bob Dylan equivalent, he does have some pretty good lines, but mostly, pretty catchy yet calming music. Thank you for that!
I thought it was a really good story and interesting documentary, and it was very well executed. I give the film eight point six stars on ten. It was inspiring and engaging, and it left a lasting impression. Good stuff!
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