Finding and Searching for Documentaries

Every now and again there is a long list of movies worth seeing at the theatre.

This is how I feel about documentaries right now.

One I found on Netflix and the other at the Landmark Theatre in La Jolla.

Both about artists. A photographer and a musician. Both flew under the radar until a late in life discovery/resurgence.


Finding Vivian Maier is about a nanny that took thousands and thousands of photographs. Not for scrapbooks or posting on FaceBook, in fact hundreds of rolls of film were left undeveloped. An amateur historian bid on a storage unit that housed some of Maier's negatives and he later set off to find this extraordinary street photographer, piece together her life and promote her work. It is a fascinating story.

Searching for Sugar Man is about Sixto Rodriguez, a Detroit folksinger who never really took off  in the United States but unbeknownst to him became hugely popular in South Africa. Two Cape Town fans went in search of Rodriguez (rumored to have died by suicide) and found him working in construction, unaware of his cult status.

1. I was so intrigued by the documentary that I Google-searched Rodriguez (now 71 years old) and found out he was playing locally (two sold out nights in North Park). Saw him in concert last Thursday and it was evident by the level of excitement in the crowd and everyone singing along that he has gained quite a fan base here in the States!

   
   

   
   

   What documentaries have you seen lately?