Review: Searching for Sugar Man

The subject is Sixto Rodriguez, a folk rock obscurity whose two albums in the early 70s flopped in his native America despite fine reviews, but were huge and important successes in Apartheid-era South Africa (which of course was pretty much cut off from the rest of the world at the time) before rumours went around that the man had killed himself on stage during a performance. The film (through intrepid South Africans like record store owner Stephen Segerman and Craig Bartholomew) investigates just what happened to the man, leading to some big surprises.

It’s almost impossible to discuss this film without revealing some very important content, so I’d advise against reading this before seeing the film, even moreso than usual. Spoiler Town from here on in.

This 2012 Oscar-winner from Swedish filmmaker Malik Bendjelloul has received a bit of flack for apparently exaggerating the obscurity of its subject, Sixto Rodriguez. Yes, it’s true that he toured Australia (even as recently as 2013 in fact) and was just as famous here as he was in South Africa, but a) I’m Australian and had never heard of him, though I swear Whitlams’ front man Tim Friedman has stolen his voice (it’s uncanny!), and b) It’s hardly the bloody point. The point is that fame in the United States eluded him and the filmmakers wanted to investigate why so few people in his home country seem to know of him when his work was so resonant and inspiring for South Africans, who were not all pro-Apartheid types.

I must say I was quite moved by this tale of one of those genuine talents who were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, perhaps. Rodriguez’s folky inner city poet/troubadour stylings might not have been to my personal liking (I’m not a Bob Dylan fan and he’s essentially a second-rate Dylan vocally), but some of the man’s lyrics are truly amazing (something like a Marvin Gaye or Curtis Mayfield, the song ‘Sugar Man’ is very “Superfly”-esque) and he definitely deserved more fame than he attained.

The film is definitely strongest in its first half, as it tells the investigation into just what happened to Rodriguez, with all the conspiracy theories and rumours, as well as what an impact he had on the South African people. You can tell that the film has been made with the knowledge that Rodriguez was indeed very much alive, but once again, that isn’t the point. The film is trying to put you in the mindset of the South Africans who grew up with this man’s music, were fascinated by his elusive identity, and shocked that Americans didn’t seem to know much of anything about him. The film certainly isn’t trying to be deceptive, it’s more or less Bendjelloul getting the likes of Segerman to retell their investigation of things. When we catch our first glimpse of the now older Rodriguez at his window, I audibly gasped. The story of just what he had been doing for all these years since is fascinating stuff, as he has done a complete turnaround and become a real blue collar labourer-type (yes, he has also toured South Africa several times by the time he is actually interviewed on screen, but that’s not the point). He comes across as a remarkable, down-to-earth, extraordinarily humble human being. He is also seemingly extremely reticent and a man of few words, and that is my only problem with the entire film. He seems like a very reticent subject, not really having much to say, with most of the information supplied by family, friends, and other interviewees. And so whilst Rodriguez and the film continue to be fascinating, there’s just something slightly deflating about the film and something still very elusive about the man himself. That isn’t the fault of the filmmakers, as this is a pretty impressively told story. It just proves that Rodriguez isn’t the best person to talk about himself, especially his musical career because he doesn’t seem to share the same interest and astonishment at how unheralded his music career had been in America. I guess that makes the film more engaging in the moment than on reflection, but I still recommend it strongly because this guy deserved to have his story told, just as he probably deserved to be more of a success.

How many more almost-successes like Rodriguez are out there still waiting to have their story told? I’m not at all surprised this film won the Best Documentary Feature Oscar. It’s must-see stuff, and it might inspire you to seek out the man’s records.

Rating: B