Searching for Sugar Man
Composite Score: 84.5
Featuring: Sixto Rodriguez, Stephen “Sugar” Segerman, Dennis Coffey, Mike Theodore, Steve Rowland, Craig Bartholomew Strydom, Eva Rodriguez, Regan Rodriguez, and Sandra Rodriguez-Kennedy
Director: Malik Bendjelloul
Writer: Malik Bendjelloul
Genres: Documentary, Biography, Music
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for brief strong language and some drug references
Box Office: $9.22 million worldwide
Why should you Watch This Film?
Searching for Sugar Man is the documentary from Malik Bendjelloul about the American musician Rodriguez who never reached fame in the U.S. but became one of the biggest names in South Africa despite never having been there. The film traces the creation of his two studio albums in the U.S., paralleling their creation with his popular rise in South Africa as a major musical voice for the anti-Apartheid activists, told through interviews with his producers and some of his South African fans (who believed that the musician had died). The film then goes into their quest to discover just who the mysterious artist was before his untimely death and their eventual discovery in the 1990s that he was not dead at all, just living and working in Detroit as a construction worker. The film concludes with his concert tour of South Africa and a celebration of the impact of the unsung musician’s music. The film won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature Film thanks to a fantastic soundtrack of Rodriguez’s music, excellent cinematography from Bendjelloul and company, and its fun storytelling method of keeping the audience in the same level of knowledge as the characters in time.
Why shouldn’t you Watch This Film?
On the one hand, Searching for Sugar Man does a really good job of celebrating Rodriguez and his music and improving upon his fame. It features the best of his songs in ways that really accentuate the film, and it highlights his impact on social movements in South Africa. On the other hand, the film leaves you with an odd sense of dissatisfaction for Rodriguez – that he hasn’t received his due credit from his record labels or his residuals from his overseas album sales and that it’s quite possible that he never will. While this film is a great celebration of an artist’s impact, the fact that it leaves the story and the audience with Rodriguez still living in relative poverty in Detroit with no clear path out leaves a bit to be desired in the film’s conclusion. It’s still a great music documentary, but I wish that it had been a more impactful documentary in the lives of those it studies.
So wait, why should you Watch This Film?
Searching for Sugar Man is one of the most beautifully shot documentaries I’ve ever seen. Bendjelloul masterfully blends archive footage, long shots of cityscapes, and brief animated sequences to give audiences a visual masterpiece, all set to the songs of his subject, Rodriguez. In that way, the film often feels more like an extended, well-made visual album that happens to also feature the story of the rediscovery of Rodriguez being told by some South African dudes. It’s beautiful and fun and showcases Rodriguez’s art and the spirit of his songs so well that it’s hard to say no once the film starts. It also helps that Rodriguez really did make some tragically underappreciated music. Likened by his producers to some of the great singer-songwriters, he has a sound all his own that truly reaches into your soul and shows you where he came from. It’s a glorious experience.
By utilizing cinematography seldom seen in documentaries and by allowing its subject’s music to be the driving force of the documentary, Searching for Sugar Man wins the audience over easily and earns its place among the Greatest Films of All Time. While it might not have been overly impactful in the life of Rodriguez, getting his story told and his music heard is still a big deal and worth celebrating. This film is currently available to rent on most streaming services for anyone looking to give it a watch in the near future.
