Film Review: Searching For Sugar Man

Searching For Sugar Man Film Review by Jack Flahavan

Note: The author's views are entirely his or her own and may not reflect the views of RetoxMagazine.com

'Searching For Sugar Man' (12A)

The remarkable story of a lost superstar. From the producer of the Academy Award-winning 'Man on Wire' (2008), comes a tale that will both warm and rend the hearts of all those who see it. 'Searching For Sugar Man' should be fiction, for it is simply too incredulous to be true, but thankfully what you see is the pure poetry that life can sometimes produce in the most unexpected places.

A Voice Unheard

'Sugar Man' was the name given to Sixto Rodriguez, a Mexican guitarist and songwriter who resided in the smoggy, run-down pockets of Detroit. Discovered in the late 60s by two successful record producers, Rodriguez was touted as the next big thing, a Hispanic Bob Dylan concocting songs that spoke of the toils and heartache of impoverished American life. In 1970 Rodriguez recorded 'Cold Fact', an album that music moguls thought was going to be a monumental hit. Sadly, in spite of the albums gut-wrenching truth and artistic verve, it was ignored by the American public for reasons that remain a mystery to all those involved in its creation. Rodriguez released another album the following year called 'Coming from Reality', just as rich and as wholesome as its predecessor, but it was all in vain. By the climax of 1972, Rodriguez had been dropped by his label, Sussex Records, proceeding to evaporate into nothingness.

Album: Searching for Sugar Man by Rodriguez (Pop)

The Legend, the Myth, and the Man

What followed this cataclysm is almost unfathomable. Somehow, in the 1970s, a bootleg of 'Cold Fact' cropped up in South Africa, at a time when the apartheid law was crippling society by the means of scare-mongering and repression. To the first listeners of ‘Cold Fact’, the songs of strife struck a chord, and the album soon began to spread like wild fire across the nation. However, nobody knew a thing about Rodriguez, even though his fame was flourishing so considerably he was said to be 'bigger than Elvis.' The man was, quite simply, a myth. All that remained of his legacy were stories of an apparent suicide on stage, leaving his adoring fans to believe that he was dead. Thankfully, two enthusiasts decided to find out the details of his passing, and set about on a journey that would catalyse the making of this magnificent documentary.

Celebration of the Virtue of Music and the Human Spirit

What makes 'Searching For Sugar Man' so great is its powerful resonance both on an artistic and human level. It is a celebration of the virtue of music and the human spirit, in a world that is often blighted by sadness and loss. As I watched Rodriguez’s story unfold, I could not help but be moved by what I saw. It was a genuinely humbling experience to be sat in the darkness of a theatre, entirely absorbed in the life of another, and I feel privileged to have been at the first screening in my home town. There is not one ounce of criticism in my reception of this film, because the beauty of real life should not be questioned. 'Searching For Sugar Man' is not about idolatry or hero-worshipping, but something so much more. As it is an independent film I am not sure just how much exposure it will get, so I implore all those who read this review to go and see it before it shuffles off into obscurity. Sometimes, cinema can emancipate us and teach us something of real value, and Sugar Man's pilgrimage to recognition will do just that.