Searching for Sugar Man (2012)

August 7, 2023 10:36 AM

Two South Africans set out to discover what happened to their unlikely musical hero, the mysterious 1970s rock n roller, Rodriguez.

A film by Malik Bendjelloul.

95% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.

Currently streaming in the US on Max. JustWatch.

box was kind enough to support MeFi with a donation. Their request was for six films about musicians, either biopics or doc. That was too easy, so I'm doing six of each. I'll be using the tag #MusicianStories

Donate $25 or more to MeFi and you can MeMail me a request for a themed day of your own. I'll fill up the sidebar on FF with six movies that fit your theme.

posted by DirtyOldTown (7 comments total)

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posted by DirtyOldTown at 10:36 AM on August 7, 2023

This might be the most entertaining movie I posted in this batch (the docs batch).
posted by DirtyOldTown at 1:27 PM on August 7, 2023

I recall being faintly astonished years ago that this had somehow evaded the notice of FanFare.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 9:08 PM on August 7, 2023

I learned about this movie from a colleague who has had a band for many years. They are really excellent, but everyone in the band knows and accepts they have lost their chance to make it big, and in the meantime they all got families and well-paying day jobs and won’t go on tour. You can tell there’s a disappointment mixed with acceptance and love for their music as well as for their lives and families and where they ended up.

We all know that becoming famous in the arts is random and fickle, but this movie really drives that home.
posted by alligatorpear at 4:16 AM on August 8, 2023

The subject of this film, Rodriguez, just died.
posted by Ashwagandha at 6:25 AM on August 9, 2023 [1 favorite]

I just saw that, yeah. Very sad.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 6:33 AM on August 9, 2023

My parents didn’t want me see this movie because they feared it’d rekindle my desire for a career in music.
posted by Jon_Evil at 10:22 AM on August 10, 2023