Many people know the names of Michael Jackson, or bands like the Beatles. But very few people will know the name Sixto Rodriguez. He wrote two well received but low selling albums that were only popular in very few places like South Africa. This documentary shows a heartwarming tale about an unknown artist's musical impact on the small population that listened to his music. Music is a unique art form which impacts peoples' lives daily by having the ability to teach someone a new idea while still be entertaining at the same time. This allows it to make positive effects on the world by giving the listeners a good message and help influencing them to possibly help out the world.The director Malik Bendjelloul, puts us through a journey of discovering who Sixto Rodriguez was. This helps you be able to learn who this singer is and what his morals and principles were. Bendjelloul skillfully structures the documentary to make you wonder what happened to this unknown singer. Until finally the search to whatever happens to this singer comes with an unexpected twist. He manages to make you wonder why this man was not popular because his two albums were mostly positive from critics. Could it be from bad luck or another example of the music industry taking advantage of an artist's talent? The only way to find out is by watching it yourself. This documentary does deserve to be seen but not only for its heartwarming tale but ability to show how music can positively change people's worldview.

"Searching for Sugar Man", an academy award winning documentary and mystery all rolled into one tells the unusual story of a man whose music was incredibly successful told mainly by a man known as "Sugar".Sixto Rodriguez, more commonly known as Rodriguez was a pioneer to anti-establishment lyrics, became very popular in South Africa during their revolution in the 1970s. Although his music was well known, he was not. Rodriguez was a mysterious man of few words. As stated in the film, ironically his first album was named "Cold Fact" but it was nearly impossible to find a cold fact about him. Even the people who played with him did not know him very well. One of the most intriguing elements of the documentary is that is music was extremely popular in South Africa, but living in the United States, he had no idea. There were suspicions that Rodriguez had been scammed out of the royalties that he should have been receiving every time he sold an album. Rumors flew around that Rodriguez had killed himself. The hunt to find out why this mystery man committed suicide ends in a way no one could have foreseen. This film encases such wild turns of events that it will leave you wanting to know about Rodriguez even after watching the film.

Being Shot in the head to being lit on fire during a performance, these are the myths that surrounded Rodriguez's death. This documentary tells the story of how Rodriguez came to fame after he thought his career was over. It's a couple South African men who are on a quest to find their favorite artist and the non-stop search. Rodriguez remains positive even though he didn't make it at first and was surprised that he was famous outside of America. It gives multiple sides of the story to find him and even gives the perspective from Rodriguez's daughters. They tell how even though he didn't make it, he went back to working in construction and love what he did even though he wasn't making money. When the producers first heard of him they thought they had an instant star, but for some reason in the United States he didn't make it at all. The producers were devastated for him and was really surprised when they found out when he was big in South Africa. The Film does a great job of having his music playing in the background to really show how great his music was. The film also does a great job of using the iPhone app to film part of the music when he ran out of money. You can't even tell that there was a difference in filming equipment throughout the film, and that gives the editing in the film a masterpiece.

Searching for Sugar Man**Spoiler Alert**It is often said that an artist is only truly appreciated after death. Vincent Van Gogh, Claude Monet, and Bach never knew the true fame their work had brought them. It is extremely rare or rather impossible for an artist to see the appreciation people have for their work after their death. However, the 1970's singer-song writer known as Rodriguez experienced just that. Rodriguez was convinced that his career as a musician would never get passed performing in local bars when his first two albums flopped. The performer was then rumored dead, devastating his supporters and record label. In 1997 Stephen "Sugar" Segerman went on a hunt to uncover any information about Rodriguez and why his fame in Africa had never been known. He then discovered the shocking news that Rodriguez was alive and well living in Detroit, Michigan. It was then that Rodriguez discovered the truth regarding his own fame.Director Malik Bendjelloul turns this ordinary documentary into a man hunt. He puts his viewers on their seats with anticipation, wanting to know what happened to Rodriguez. The director makes you a fanatic of Rodriguez by the end of the film by using his music as the soundtrack, giving the audience the ability to experience his greatness. Bendjelloul shows the truth beyond the gossip and rumors in this heart wrenching story of an under appreciated artist. This documentary is worth seeing, as journalist and writer Rian Malan stated, "It's too strange to be true" you must see it for yourself to believe it.