CTVA 215 Week 13 - Hedwig & The Angry Inch (2001)

Hedwig & The Angry Inch feels like a film that was made specifically for me, at least in theory. It’s a pastiche of the lifestyle of rock & roll musicians that centers on a main character whose gender exists outside of the binary and is full of Bowie-esque musical numbers. Being a queer trans person obsessed with both rock & roll and the history of the genre, there are so many pieces of this film that feel tailored specifically to my taste. For the most part this film really does work for me, Hedwig is a compelling main character and I really enjoyed exploring her relationships with the other characters in the film, particularly with his partner Yitzhak. The film is also very well made, John Cameron Mitchell is an inventive director who has a lot of fun stylistically in this film. There’s even animated segments I really enjoyed, particularly during the first performance of Origin of Love.

I think what holds me back from fully LOVING this film is that, to start, movie musicals aren’t really my thing, at least outside of animation. That’s not to say I don’t like any live-action movie musicals, but what holds this one back for me is that the music just hasn’t stuck with me all that much. The most obvious comparison to make with this film is Rocky Horror Picture Show, and while I think I like Hedwig more as a film, Rocky definitely has the better, more memorable music. This film sadly doesn't have a Time Warp in its arsenal. Still, I thoroughly enjoyed this film. It’s very fun and very daring for its time in terms of its depiction of gender. I would love to see the stage version of this story someday, just to see how well this story and these songs are depicted in a different medium.