Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Directed by:
John Cameron MitchellScreenplay:
John Cameron MitchellCinematography:
Frank G. DeMarcoComposer:
Stephen TraskCast:
John Cameron Mitchell, Michael Pitt, Miriam Shor, Stephen Trask, Andrea Martin, Rob Campbell, Alberta Watson, Maurice Dean Wint, Rosie O'Donnell (more)VOD (2)
Plots(1)
With this trailblazing musical, writer-director-star John Cameron Mitchell and composer-lyricist Stephen Trask brought their signature creation from stage to screen for a movie as unclassifiable as its protagonist. Raised a boy in East Berlin, Hedwig (Mitchell) undergoes a traumatic personal transformation in order to emigrate to the U.S., where she reinvents herself as an “internationally ignored” but divinely talented rock diva, characterized by Mitchell as a “beautiful gender of one.” The film tells Hedwig’s life story through her music, an eclectic collection of original punk anthems and power ballads by Trask, matching them with a freewheeling cinematic mosaic of music-video fantasies, animated interludes, and moments of bracing emotional realism. A hard-charging song cycle and a tender character study, Hedwig and the Angry Inch is a tribute to the transcendent power of rock and roll. (Criterion)
(more)Videos (1)
Reviews (1)
Even though I will never intentionally seek out Mitchell's films, I actually admired him at times for his debut. Unlike Shortbus, which is self-absorbed and purposefully open, the characters in Hedwig can be understood and Hedwig herself is a very likable character, who easily connects with the audience thanks to the amazing lyrics of her songs. However, as a whole, the film remains too bizarre for my taste, despite its pleasant feeling.
()
