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As cheesy as it sounds, musicals are often “a family affair.”
Sweet storylines featuring beautiful women and valiant men dominate the majority of the genre.
Luckily, musical lovers with a taste for something a bit more edgy have the 2001 film, “Hedwig and the Angry Inch.”
Based on the off-Broadway musical, the film is the story of Hedwig, a transsexual punk rocker trying to find her way in the world.
Hedwig, then Hansel, had to have a sex change in order to marry an American G.I. and move out of communist Berlin only to have her husband leave her in a trailer park when they made it to the States.
She starts a band with a younger man, Tommy Gnosis, whose baby sister she baby-sits for.
When the relationship becomes too much for him, he leaves Hedwig and becomes a rock star singing the songs she wrote.
The film is really about her journey to find herself and her own identity.
Often in musicals the songs are amazing, but are always connected to the film they are a part of. In “Hedwig” the songs can stand by themselves.
The music is so powerful, with subjects that range from gender to personal stories, that they could easily become favorite songs on their own.
People really don’t even need to see the film to enjoy and connect with the music.
The absolute best song on the soundtrack is “The Origin of Love.”
It’s probably the most beautiful love song of all time.
It’s not traditional, but it is inspiring.
John Cameron Mitchell, who writes, directs and stars in the film, is definitely a genius. The character he created in Hedwig is someone that people can really relate to regardless of gender.
Her struggle to find herself, as well as her need to define herself through her relationships with others, is one that viewers can really relate to.
On top of all that, the film is just plain rockin.’
It’s a film you want to get up and sing and dance to rather than just take in. It’s a rock musical starring a punk rock transsexual — how can you get any better than that?
“Hedwig and the Angry Inch” is an amazing musical, but even those not fond of the genre will be thrilled and entertained.
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