It's complicated... I really like the directing, acting and writing but, there are issues with the way it's shot that I just can't deny. As much as I love the storytelling and the fantastic performance but, there are also certain scenes that didn't need to exist.

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

For having a relatively low budget, the film's style and overall art direction are immensely impressive.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

"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.

Coming from the standpoint of someone who did not know who the musician Rodriguez was prior to watching the film Searching For Sugarman, I personally had a very different perception of this film. Searching For Sugarman is a documentary surrounding the mysterious story of Rodriguez- a singer/songwriter who, despite his artistic excellence, could not seem to succeed in the American music industry, however, become "bigger than Elvis" in South Africa. While the film revolves around finding out whether Rodriguez is dead or alive, Benjelloul takes the audience on journey from diving into his unfortunate beginning, to his rumored suicide in front of thousands after a performance. Benjelloul initially presents Rodriguez in a very cryptic way; and as a viewer who didn't know Rodriguez, I spent a lot of the beginning of the film in a complete rut trying to figure out who he was. The film opens with dialogue from Stephen 'Sugar' Segerman- a record shop owner in South Africa- who introduces Rodriguez by means of communicating the impact that Rodriguez had on the entirety of South Africa. Segerman's introduction of Rodriguez sets the tempo of the film in how all of the opening characters speak of Rodriguez's borderline godly impact on the people of South Africa. However, Benjelloul's purposefully parallels Rodriguez's impact on South Africa along with how little people knew about him in United States to create a sense of suspense. The audience is constantly wondering who he is, while simultaneously being guided into joining "the hunt" for Rodriguez. If you don't know who Rodriguez is, you are almost inclined to jump out of your seat and try to find him yourself.

*Spoiler Alert* Searching for Sugar Man is a unique documentary film about a man whom makes great music and was never discovered, in his own country, until late into his life. The man's name, Rodriguez. They call him a natural and truly gifted, which he is. By some odd miracle someone from South Africa brought his album to their homeland and it spread like wild fire. They reported him being equivalent to Elvis in America and probably should have been on the same tier. The South Africans came up with many rumors on why they had never heard of this, Rodriguez; like he shot himself on stage, or even lit himself on fire in front of fans. Then they finally do it, they discover a poor man living in poverty to be him, the legend Rodriguez. When he gets to South Africa he's treated like a God, God of music and sells out every concert he holds. Like stated above was not discovered/liked in his home nation until late into his life. Now in his late ages still sells out shows all over the world. The amazing thing about Rodriguez is he donates the majority of his earnings and still lives a humble life in Detroit Michigan.

***SPOILER ALERT*** Searching for Sugar Man, directed by the late Malik Bendjelloul, tells a story that would be considered a modern fairy tale. Rodriguez is introduced as a mystery, a prophet, and untraceable man. The mystery is built up by using low key lighting, shadows, and foggy images. Sound is used to create an eerie feeling, build up excitement, or lack of sound highlights the importance of a scene. Playing Rodriguez's actual soundtrack, makes the audience realize the true beauty in his music, and wonder why he never made it in the music industry. While the audience wants the mystery to remain unsolved, it is slowly revealed that he is in fact not dead, but alive. Even though his story is unraveled, Rodriguez is still portrayed as mysterious by not showing his full face often, wearing sunglasses, dark clothes, and by following him to places without destinations. This beautiful story is effectively told by using real footage and cartoon animations, not only to keep the audience interested, but also to make the beginning of the film a puzzle. The lack of filters, mise-en-scene, and costuming add to Rodriguez's down to earth persona and authenticity, making it difficult not to like him.Despite Rodriguez's failures, he persevered and continued taking chances, knowing he may not succeed, such as becoming mayor. Rodriguez was not hindered by his failures, he went right back to work and carried good morale; he showed his daughters that even though life had dealt him bad cards, there was still a bigger and better world. Not only does it show the power of perseverance, but it makes you feel tiny; Rodriguez was a legend, but lived his life as a "failed" American rock star. This film highlights the importance of accepting failures, not allowing them to hinder your life and that the world is a much bigger place.