Last weekend Sebastiaan and I went to see the multi-award winning documentary film, Searching for Sugarman, at a little independent movie theatre, De Ballie, in Amsterdam. I had only heard a little bit about to movie before we went, but as soon as the film started, we were absolutely transfixed by the powerful story of Sixto Rodriguez.
Without giving too much away…
The movie is about an American musician in the early 1970’s, Sixto Rodriguez, who, despite his obvious talent, was unable to achieve any musical success in the States. However, thanks to a bootleg copy of his record that made its way across the Atlantic, Rodriguez’s music reached incredible popularity in South Africa where his songs became almost an anthem for the anti-apartheid movement. The film documents a literal ‘search’ for the mysterious Rodriguez who despite the odds, remains unaware of his fame across the world.
It was one of the best and most moving documentaries I’ve seen in a long time and definitely the type of movie you just can’t stop talking about. If you get a chance to check it out, I highly recommend it! 🙂
