Movies That Rock: Hedwig and the Angry Inch

I'm embarrassed to say that I had never seen this film in its entirety until this morning. I woke up at 8 AM, after sleeping 13 hours nonconsecutively the evening before, and had finished my other netflix (I'm currently working through Scrubs from the beginning.) So I popped it on, knowing that this time I wouldn't fall asleep (I seem to have this problem with movies).

Of course I knew going into this film how extraordinary it is. A friend of mine who knows all things theater had been yelling at me to watch this film for years. She told me I'd love it. I told her I probably would. But life gets in the way of things sometimes. I promised her I get around to things eventually, and that's all that counts.

This is a film that counts.

I watched with wide eyes, completely mesmerized from beginning to end. And when those final credits appeared, I felt a sudden desperation for more. There's only one thing that I could say is wrong with this film: there just isn't enough. There isn't enough Hedwig, enough music, to fill my appetite. It's beautifully inspiring, albeit sad and whimsical at the same time.

And to think, I've run into John Cameron Mitchell. If only I could run into him again, I'd have something worthwhile to say.

I keep thinking I'm living in the wrong time period, and this film only solidified that feeling once more. When I look at what New York is now, it seems to have lost that spark, that culture that once drove it into groundbreaking material. I think of when Hedwig premiered at that theater in the Meatpacking District and what a different place this city was. And that was only a decade ago. What do we have now?

John Cameron Mitchell is a gifted actor, writer director, to say the least. But it's really the music that resonates with me. It was fascinating to watch the making of, and see how the character, the story, and the music transpired. Stephen Trask proved that rock music can be personal, and once again can touch every one regardless what the subject matter.

We can all identify with Hedwig, and that's the real charm.

Hedwig and the Angry Inch - Tear Me Down

Hedwig and the Angry Inch - Origin Of Love