Great documentary about a forgotten songwriter!

Searching for Sugar Man review

A riveting documentary about a forgotten Detroit songwriter once thought of as the next Bob Dylan has hit select theatres in Winnipeg. The film, “Searching for Sugar Man,” documents an incredibly bizarre circumstance surrounding the career of songwriter, Sixto Rodriguez.

The film begins with the featured song, “Sugar Man,” which plays through the low fidelity speakers of a car cruising down a winding highway etched in the side of a mountain. Hearing the song in low fidelity for the first time doesn’t do the song justice, but thankfully a higher quality version is dubbed in midway through the film and during the credits. The film cuts to a beautiful montage of Lake Michigan landscape photography and impressive pencil sketches of Detroit’s skyline, as we are transported to the early roots of the artists, Rodriguez.

The movie begins to construct the myth of the songwriter known as Rodriguez by interviewing record producers from his first album, Cold Fact. The producers tell the story of Rodriguez as the wandering mysterious poet from the shadows of Detroit. Digital illustrations are used to detail Rodriguez’s early career, which are used effectively to express the dream like sequence of him singing in the cigarette haze of a bar with his back turned to the crowd. Since there is only limited footage of Rodriguez in this era, illustrations are effectively employed throughout the film to add a compelling visual element to accompany the gripping recollections during interviews. The film frequently uses landscape illustrations that fade into time-lapse photography; this technique adds very sophisticated B-roll footage to the film and demonstrates high production value and originality.

The setting suddenly changes to a very unexpected place, Cape Town, South Africa, which is introduced with the song, “The Establishment Blues.” This song is a great selection to accompany the dated footage from the apartheid, which is edited tightly on the beats of the song. The film then takes on an unsuspecting twist and shifts gear into a great mystery being uncovered by music detectives Stephen “Sugar Man” Segerman and Craig Bartholomew-Strydom. Every leg of their journey is impressively documented with exciting and sometimes heated interviews with leads. As each small clue is uncovered, the film keeps you on the edge of your seat, pulling you into the shoes of these truth seekers, as they gain momentum towards finding the man responsible for writing, “The record that gave us permission to think freely,” during the times of apartheid.

This mythical songwriter is finally revealed at the climax of the search in absolute modesty, opening the window of his rundown Detroit home in old age, this is a brilliantly captured unforgettable moment. The pace of the film slows down during an interview with Rodriguez; his mannerisms make it really easy to relate to this modest man, he embodies the unsung forgotten hero that is in all of our hearts. The film does a great job skillfully presenting details that solidify Rodriguez’s character identity in this light, as a working class hero that is constantly unfairly cut down by society.

This documentary film has it all: An incredible touching story, seamless editing, brilliant song selection and great cinematography. As the film ended, many in the theatre stayed in their seats even after the credits, wiping away tears.