Searching for Sugar Man

Searching for Sugar Man is a documentary about Sixto Rodriguez, a singer-songwriter from Detroit who recorded a small number of albums in the early 1970s. The records drew little attention at home, and he faded from view. In South Africa, however, his songs became widely known and took on a political significance for listeners opposed to apartheid, while Rodriguez himself remained unaware of that following. Rumors circulated there that he had died, including stories of a suicide on stage, and decades later two South African fans, Stephen Segerman and a fellow enthusiast, set out to learn what had really become of him. Their inquiry leads to a series of discoveries that go beyond what they expected.

The film is directed and written by Malik Bendjelloul, and produced by Bendjelloul with Simon Chinn. Rodriguez appears as himself, along with members of his family and figures from his recording career. It was released in 2012 and runs 85 minutes.

Made for about 1 million USD, it took roughly 9 million USD worldwide, a strong return for a documentary of this scale. On IMDb it holds 8.2/10 from around 76,000 votes, and on TMDB 7.9/10 from about 1,000 votes. A film critics' rating stands at 8/10 from 133 reviews, similar to the audience scores.