Movie Review: "Searching For Sugar Man"

"Searching For Sugar Man": A-.  This documentary filmed by Swedish director Malik Bendjelloul tells the story of an American singer-songwriter named Sixto Rodriguez, who in the very early 1970's released two well-received albums and then figuratively fell off the face of the earth. In the seventies, before the days of MTV, file sharing, Pandora and satellite radio, music artists needed more than singing or instrumental talent in order to make a career in the business. They needed a label to distribute and, more importantly, promote their records. They also needed radio play, an agent with connections, perhaps a financially underwritten concert tour, free publicity, and of course a healthy dose of luck. Rodriguez had none of these things going for him. Sadly, his label, Sussex Records, dropped him after the second album, at which point he continued to make his way in the world doing hard manual labor. Although he kept playing his guitar, he let go of his dream.

There is a saying that life can be cruel, and the application of that adage is quickly unveiled in this movie. Unbeknownst to Rodriguez, his songs became extremely popular in the country of South Africa at a time when the anti-Apartheid movement was shifting into a higher gear. It is estimated that over a half million copies of his records were sold - - some of them as bootlegs - - in that country alone. More than two decades later, Cape Town record store owner Stephen Segerman took it upon himself to investigate who this invisible star was. After a little digging he discovered that there were reports of Rodriguez' death, resulting from a self-inflicted shot to the head during a concert in the States. Yet, Segerman is unable to obtain tangible proof or even any concrete evidence that such a tragedy actually occurred.

The thought came to Segerman that he should follow the money. If a half-million records were sold, who was on the receiving end of all that dough? In one of the most interesting segments of the movie, Segerman interviews Clarence Avant, former head of the now-defunct Sussex label. Avant claims ignorance, but his squirming in the hot seat in front of the camera reminded me of Mike Wallace grilling people on 60 Minutes.

Like any good detective, Segerman stays on the trail. Finding out what happened to Rodriguez becomes his obsession, to the point where Segerman is referred to by his friends as "Sugar Man," the title of one of Rodriguez' best songs. He seeks out people in the music business, relatives of Rodriguez, and his former co-workers from long ago. How could such a talented artist with such a huge following - - albeit thousands of miles away - - disappear almost without a trace?  How could someone with such international star power not be aware of it?

Forty-five minutes into the movie, a major revelation is disclosed to the audience. I could probably spill the beans, since at that point the film is barely at the half-way mark. But on the chance that doing so would constitute an unwelcomed spoiler, I will hold my cards close to the vest and resist the temptation. Suffice it to say that this is one of the three best movies I have seen this year.

As for the music, I love the soundtrack and urge you to add it to your library. The songs are all originals, taken from Rodriguez' two albums. His lyrics might remind you of Dylan, only this man can actually sing. Jose Feliciano's vocals comes to mind, but with a better variety of tempo and production. By the way, if you do acquire the soundtrack on CD, do not read the liner notes until you've seen the movie. The notes writer wasn't as judicious as I in divulging potential spoilers.