Searching for Sugar Man

[Ms Thrifty]

I also loved this (and am generally impressed by the documentaries I have enjoyed recently, as I don't normally like them at all), and having both seen it and read the comments here, I'm surprised the rating on IMDB isn't higher. I found it genuinely amazing, and that's not a word I usually use at all, let alone use as an indiscriminate adjective. It was also heart-warming and, surprisingly, funny, too - people were laughing out loud in places, as was I. The mystery to me was that unless I missed it, there seemed to be no mention of Rodriguez' wife/partner and the girls' mother. Was she dead, divorced or what? And what a lost opportunity to sell the soundtrack, since we all seem to have liked the music so much!

[Celini]

the soundtrack will be released on 27th July, day of the release of the film in the UK
[spoiler]and the money will go to Rodriguez this time![/spoiler]

[Ms Thrifty]

Thank you, Celini - two items of good news in one post!

[JMP]

Thanks Stuartboy - that would have irritated me!

[Octopus]

I really envy Celini right now, and I have to say it's the most amazing film (documentary!) I have seen for a long time. I give it 10/10 right away.

The direction was perfect to me: didn't have to wait 20min to get into it, not like 99% of the films I've seen this year... It pictured very well the interviewees' feelings and admiration [spoiler]and some really, really strange testimony about the South African money Rodriguez was supposed to get...[/spoiler]
It went gradually, better and better, I honestly had shivers and tried not to cry most of the time.
From Rodriguez' strange debuts to the story of the two 'music detectives', from the music professionals' hard work to the story of how down to earth and generous this man was [spoiler](I wanted to say 'is'!! even though a quick search on the Internet before going to the screening will actually tell all the curious ones the truth...)[/spoiler] ... it's just beautiful.
Mysterious and beautiful.
His music is magic, I'm a 1970s fan, a music fan, a documentary fan, so I won't tell you how much this kind of documentaries mean to me (I guess most of you love this music too!). I just found the story unbelievable, I have too many things to say, I don't know where to start, please stop my from typing

[Ms Thrifty]

Great to have a film which seems universally popular here. Differing views can make interesting reading but I think this is one we'd all like to see succeed and find as wide an audience as possible.

[prettyxcool]

Saw this at Gate Picturehouse this morning and I was riveted!

Absolutely brilliant, the music, lyrics, cinematography, animation, the way the story unfolded, the interviews with his family clearly choked and emotional when they talked about their father, I was so moved by the film and by this mild mannered, and humble man. The mystery surrounding this man was so surreal. I also wondered about his wife and where the royalties went. 10/10

[spoiler]As he himself said, may be they just didn't have his address! Surprisingly no one tried to forward to his next of kin if he was indeed 'dead', but I don't know enough of what happens to royalties, when a person dies.
With regards to his wife, she does get a mention on this website:
http://www.sugarman.org/rodriguez/sugar.html
On Monday, March 2nd, Rodriguez, along with his wife Konnie and two of his three daughters, Eva and Regan, arrived in Cape Town to begin his two week South African tour.

Another mystery why she was not mentioned in the film![/spoiler]

[Ms Thrifty]

Maybe Mrs R was even more humble and retiring than the man himself?

[Octopus]

She probably didn't want to be part of it - I wonder if there is only ONE wife, actually.
[spoiler]About the rest: maybe they didn't have his address... but the most amazing thing is that he would have all the rights to sue them, but he won't. He doesn't care about money and success, he just want to do what he likes.[/spoiler]

[Ms Thrifty]

Hey Octopus, this isn't Marley! Or do you know something the rest of us don't?