A few weeks ago, I read John Cameron Mitchell was taking his film Hedwig and the Angry Inch on a tour of screenings for the film’s 25th anniversary. I wish I’d gone, but it’s tough going into something cold that’s been celebrated by so many people for so many years. Are fans going to sing along? Are there Rocky Horror Picture Show-esque traditions I need to know about?
I once took a film class where we watched The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and one guy did all the audience participation bits along with the movie. It was one of the most embarrassing movie-watching experiences I’ve ever had. On the other hand, I love it when films build a sense of community, especially when it’s a community of outsiders. And there’s no bigger outsider than Hedwig Robinson.
Based on the musical by Stephen Trask and John Cameron Mitchell, Hedwig and the Angry Inch follows Hedwig Robinson (Mitchell), the lead singer of a struggling glam rock band, as she tours rundown seafood restaurants across America while shadowing the arena tour of a former lover, Tommy Gnosis (Michael Pitt), who stole her songs and became a rock superstar.
The story is told through a series of high-energy rock ‘n’ roll performances and flashbacks to Hedwig’s life, growing up in East Berlin, enduring a botched sex-change operation, and searching for acceptance both as a musician and as a person. The tone is funny, a little sad, with a helluva lot of rock ‘n’ roll.
I’ve seen Mitchell’s Shortbus, and though I liked it, the film is very independent, so I was worried about how accessible Hedwig would be. The answer is: very accessible. It’s hard not to love Hedwig with Mitchell’s sense of humor, sensitivity, and commanding stage presence. Seriously, how is John Cameron Mitchell not a bigger star? Is casting him as Joe “The Tiger King” Exotic the best we can do? If anything, he should have received an Oscar nomination for this role.
It’s been suggested any momentum Hedwig had after its release in the summer of 2001 was cut short by 9/11. Which is a goddamn shame because songs like “Tear Me Down” and “Angry Inch” should be known by everyone. I’m not usually one for musicals, but I do love rock ‘n’ roll, and these songs fuckin’ rip. This is a musical that deserves to be part of everyone’s vernacular.
As important as its contributions are to musical cinema, Hedwig is also an important film in the conversation about gender identity. Hedwig began life as a gay man named Hansel, who agreed to become a woman to escape East Germany. The operation leaves her trapped between identities. Then her songs are stolen from her, leaving her with no clear sense of self. She has to figure out who she is on her own.
I feel like there are layers to this film’s discussion of gender that I’ve yet to scratch the surface of. Like why the film casts actress Miriam Shor as Hedwig’s husband and bandmate, Yitzhak, who is presented as a man, unless that ambiguity is the point. Either way, it’s a stellar performance.
The film is a breezy 93 minutes, it’s flashy and colorful with animated sequences from animator Emily Hubley and that soundtrack is fire. A good note to go out on for this year’s Criterion Month. If it wasn’t to your liking? Then you can just tear it down.