Searching for Sugar Man is about a man who was forgotten by an entire generation. Hell, it's about a man that was never even known by an entire generation, yet wrote some of the most influential songs of his time. In the sensational documentary by Malik Bendjelloul, the story of this man is told, a man who's dignified nature has allowed for history's selective lens to pass over him.
Sixto Rodriguez was born to Mexican immigrants in Detroit in 1942. Despite two critically praised albums released under Sussex Records in the early ‘70s, Rodriguez failed to achieve any sort of fan base in the nation, with label founder Clarence Avant cynically guessing he sold about 6 records in total. Due to this lack of success, Rodriguez was dropped soon after the release of his second album Coming from Reality. The documentary goes on to tell one of the most brilliantly but unlikely stories I've ever heard, and one that equally succeeds in summoning the emotions of an audience that has no initial investment in the story at all.
After assuming that his opportunities as a music man had dissipated, Rodriguez humbly acted upon the virtues that his parents had instilled in him as a child and went back to the manual construction labor he had been doing for numerous years. But Rodriguez didn't complain about it - he didn't even realize there was something to complain about. Whether he made it as an artist or not he always knew he'd still find those long workdays the most fulfilling days of his life because he could thus support his three daughters.
However, unbeknownst to Rodriguez or any of his affiliates, a much different scenario was being played out in one of the most inconceivable of countries: South Africa. As the story goes, Cold Fact, Rodriguez's first record, arrived in South Africa soon after its release and immediately struck a chord with the disheartened and disenfranchised generation of the nation's Apartheid victims. Rodriguez's music gained a strong following, with eventual sales of his albums going to over 500,000. His music inspired a generation and became an influential work of art that spurred on the tour de force of triumphing over segregation in South Africa. It is, truthfully, one of the most heart-wrenching displays of historic footage I have ever seen put to film.
This documentary expertly transitions back and forth between events within America and events in South Africa. It shows emotionally charged interviews filled with analogies from a diverse assortment of people close to Rodriguez, and whose accounts show the effect on his music and principles. This movie knows exactly what it wants to show but has the integrity to not flaunt it in our faces.
Searching for Sugar Man doesn't just tell a story, it creates one. The great strength of this film is that it takes facts and anecdotes that would be meaningless apart and brings them together in a way that tells a story of true humility and perseverance. This film is about people, it's about their stories, and it's about their thirst for knowledge, for finding answers. It's not about Rodriguez so much as it's about what he inspired, what he did, and what he refrained from doing. This film displays the importance of giving credit where it is due, and even if Rodriguez doesn't mind being forgotten, it's important for the rest of us to know he'll be remembered as a hero.
By: Spencer Semianiw
