¨An obstacle
is an inspiration.¨
Searching for
Sugar Man is by far the best documentary I´ve seen this year and one of my all
time favorites. Swedish director, Malik Bendjelloul, who has been known for
producing musical documentaries brings us a fascinating story full of mystery
and reminds us how easy it is for great talents to go unrecognized at times. I
was completely hooked with this gripping story from the very beginning and
wondered what had happened to this 70´s rocker that influenced South Africa in
such a big way during the Apartheid. The documentary has some unexpected
payoffs halfway through the film and some unbelievable twists. The soundtrack
is also amazing and contributes even more to the mysterious factor as to how
someone so talented was completely ignored in the United States. One of the
producers claimed that in America he was zero, in South Africa a hero. The name
of this mysterious man is Sixto Rodriguez, who in 1970 created an album that revolutionized
South Africa during the oppressive regime. It was a soundtrack to their lives
and millions identified with the powerful antiestablishment lyrics of his song,
but no one knew anything about this man who was more famous than Elvis Presley
in their country. As I listened to his songs in the soundtrack, I couldn’t even
believe I hadn’t heard of this man before. Bendjelloul directed this wonderful
film in a very gripping and mysterious way making Rodriguez even more mystical
than he already was. This is one great detective story, or as they call it in
the documentary musicologist detective story. The film was also beautifully
shot, drifting from images of Detroit (Rodriguez´s hometown) to others in Cape
Town where we see the contrast of this man´s fame. This documentary is worth
checking out for the powerful and emotional story alone. It is better than most
thrillers I´ve seen lately.
The
documentary begins with the narration of a South African named Stephen
Segerman, who has been nicknamed Sugar for a well known song in the 70´s known
as Sugar Man. As he speaks and tells us the story of this mysterious musician
who everyone in South Africa has heard about, we can hear the song playing in the
background. Segerman explains the significance that his music had during the
apartheid in South Africa where the government was controlling the information
from the outside world. Somehow a bootleg from Rodriguez´s 1970 album, Cold
Fact, made its way to Cape Town and became an instant success selling over half
a million copies in that country. Rodriguez became a rebel icon and his music
influenced the underground movement, but no one knew anything about this man.
Unlike other successful rockers, nobody knew who this man really was and an air
of mystery surrounded this man. Several tragic stories were told about his
grotesque suicide, some claimed he set himself on fire in a concert and others
that he shot himself in the head during another presentation. Rodriguez became
a legend in South Africa, but no one really knew anything else about this man.
That is where Segerman comes in as he begins to search for clues and
information about his past. By listening closely to the lyrics he begins
discovering some clues as to where this man might have lived, and so the
detective story begins with some thrilling discoveries. Segerman finally
discovers and interviews some of the producers of his two albums who all seem
to agree that Rodriguez should have been a star because of his great lyrics,
but somehow his albums never sold. Some even claimed he was better than Bob
Dylan. Segerman shows the contrast of how affecting his music was in South
Africa, and how nonexistent it was in America. His investigations will lead to
some surprising discoveries along the way.
The way in
which Segerman begins to solve the mystery of Rodriguez´s life is what makes
this detective story so interesting and gripping. There are some great
discoveries along the way as we listen in the background to several of his
songs, which I absolutely enjoyed. It made me want to buy the album. The
mystery surrounding this man´s grotesque death made this even more dramatic and
thrilling to watch. Who would have ever thought that a musicologist detective
story would be so interesting? What made this documentary even more dramatic
was the fact that this man had never realized how his music impacted another
country the way it did. But then what seemed to be the ending of one story
ended up being the beginning of an even better one. I don’t want to go into too
much detail because I don’t want to give anything away, but the payoff is
incredible. The search and hunt for Rodriguez pays off in the end with some
incredible discoveries. Searching for Sugar Man is a grandiose story and one
worth seeing.
http://estebueno10.blogspot.com/
Searching for Sugar Man is easily one of the best documentaries I've ever seen. The storytelling sucks you not only into the mysterious life of Sixto Rodriguez, but also into the gripping tale of how his music became a collective anthem during apartheid South Africa. The difference between how he continued to live his life and the kind of icon he was across the Atlantic is truly amazing.
ResponderEliminarThanks Wally! I´m glad you enjoyed the documentary as much as I did. It was one of the best documentaries I´ve seen as well
ResponderEliminar