Day 137 - Searching for Sugar Man



Day 137          Searching for Sugar Man [2012 Documentary]
                          
Director                         Malik Bendjelloul
Cinematography            Camilla Skagerström
Subject                          The film documents two South African music fans’ search for the mythical musician Sixto Rodriguez who they believe to be dead.  
Production                     Red Box Film, Passion Pictures, Canfield Pictures, Sveriges Television, Yle Co-Production, Hysteria Film

IMDb                                 8.2/10
Rotten Tomatoes                 94%

“And you can keep your symbols of success, Then I'll pursue my own happiness”. I think that line sums up Rodriguez as a man the best. I have been searching through his lyrics for a while now and wondering why it took an Oscar-winning film (this one) to promote his music anywhere other than South Africa. The guy’s lyrics are so noteworthy and emotional, and you might even say ahead of their time – in his song ‘The Establishment Blues’ he talks about soaring gun sales and women not being protected. This is starting to sound more like an album review than a film review, but the music certainly helps this documentary along as the soundtrack is purely made up of original Rodriguez songs. I’m afraid I can’t really write much more about the documentary as I believe it is much better when you learn the story as it is told in the doc. No spoilers from me this time. I must admit I cried tears of joy as I learned about the man himself, his story and his influence in South Africa.  

Subject Matter                3.5 / 4
Shock Factor                      2 / 4
Production                         3 / 4
Music                                4 / 4
HWF rating                   4 / 4

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