Searching for Sugar Man
I watched this movie knowing absolutely nothing going in, and so I won't reveal too much here. In short, in the early '70s a singer known only as Rodriguez cut a couple of albums, which did absolutely nothing in the U.S. Somehow his records made their way to South Africa, where they struck a chord with the emerging youth who were against apartheid. Despite strict censorship, Rodriguez became a huge star in that country, bigger than The Rolling Stones, while remaining completely unknown in his home country.
Nothing was known about Rodriguez, so a South African journalist tried to track down the rumors of his death--it was supposed he committed suicide on stage, either by gunshot or self-immolation. What he discovers is far more intriguing. End of summary.
This movie is a real kick to experience. A huge part of it is that Rodriguez's songs are really good. If the music had been lousy it would have been hard to understand the South Africans love for him, as well as being mystified why he didn't sell here. His music is a lot like Bob Dylan as sung by Jose Feliciano, with the streets of Detroit, his home town, wrapped around his sensational lyrics.
The film's narrative is like a great detective story, as clues are followed diligently. The producers of his albums are interviewed, as is the owner of the record company, who obfuscates when discussing where the royalties from South Africa went (they didn't go to Rodriguez or his family). The ending is about as emotionally satisfying as any movie I've seen this year.
Searching for Sugar Man (the title refers to one of his songs, about a drug dealer, which was literally scratched out of vinyl recordings by South African censors) is one of the best films of the year.
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