Searching for Sugar Man, a documentary by Swedish filmmaker Malik Bendjelloul, is an unbelievably uplifting film. It tells the story of Sixto Rodriquez, a man who lives in Detroit, who was a singer-songwriter of some promise forty years ago. He made two albums that received excellent reviews, but which did no business in the USA. It’s impossible to see why; I’ve never heard of the man, but these were my prime record-buying years, and this was exactly the sort of stuff I would have gobbled up. But for whatever reason, the records disappeared–except in South Africa. There, his records were huge, and Rodriguez became something of a countercultural figure, beloved by anti-apartheid students. But because of cultural boycotts caused by apartheid, South Africa was cut off from the rest of the world, Rodriguez had no idea that he was a star, and his fans in South Africa, hearing no new material from the singer, believed he was dead.
The movie is the story of his rediscovery by some intrepid fans, and his resurrection as a performer. It turns out that Rodriguez was living his life in Detroit, working as a construction laborer, participating actively in the life of his community, raising three daughters. Denied the life of a famous artist, he shouldered the life of a man. After we saw the film at the Jacob Burns Film Center, Rodriguez appeared with director Bendjelloul. Now 70 years old, Rodriguez was soft-spoken, charming, modest–pleased that his life had taken this turn, but not overly impressed with his new-found fame. Instead, I was impressed with his spirituality, his grace, his stoical wisdom.