The superlatives ('Film of the year', 'The greatest documentary ever made') are already screaming at you from the DVD cover. Go ahead, a film about the obscure singer / songwriter Sixto Rodriguez whose life story has long been known: in the early seventies he made two beautiful albums, both records flopped in his own America, but were picked up in South Africa where he - without him knew that -
… rooted into a cult artist. Searching For Sugar Man beautifully portrays the search of two fans for Sixto Rodriguez. The contrast between wintry America and spring-like South Africa in particular is beautifully shot. The film keeps the tension for a long time. Do they find him? And if so, is he still alive? The myth surrounding the singer is whipped up nicely (one interviewee even calls him 'a prophet') while he is just one of the many songwriters, whose talent was ignored by his contemporaries. Rodriguez turns out to be a shy guy who, after his failed career as a musician, started working as a construction worker in order to support his family. Funny to see that the excited commentary with which the filmmakers drum themselves on the chest is the exact opposite of the modest and lovable Sixto Rodriguez. It undergoes both its sudden recognition and its years of misunderstanding with the same calm heart. (PdK) It undergoes both its sudden recognition and its years of disregard with the same calm mind. (PdK) It undergoes both its sudden recognition and its years of misunderstanding with the same calm heart. (PdK)more
