The son of Mexican immigrants, singer-songwriter Sixto Diaz Rodriguez recorded two politically conscious albums in 1969 and 1970. Set against swirling string arrangements, they flopped at home. But in apartheid-era South Africa, Sugar Man’s subversive music was passed around like a magic talisman and celebrated as the equal of the Beatles and Neil Young. So what happened to him? Rumors abounded regarding his heroin overdose, long sentence for killing a lover, and fiery onstage suicide. But two rabid fans, a jeweler and a journalist, weren’t content to leave the puzzle alone. Jumping on the mystery train, Searching for Sugar Man brings Detroit and Cape Town alive through expertly assembled archival materials and animation, demonstrating the delicious uncertainties of the pre-Internet era. And the film weaves in Rodriguez’s music, which, forty years later, retains its revelatory power. (PS)