Bold and very interesting! (Some spoilers)

Rating: 8/10 (31 December 2002)

I ran into this film on Cable-TV and I found this to be a very bold, emotional and creative piece of work. When you hear folks go around saying, "It's the same old thing in movies today", they haven't seen this film. I was entertained and in turn felt for the characters, especially the lead, Hedwig. There was alot of information I wasn't aware of which made this even more interesting to me, and it was presented in a way that didn't turn me away but made me want to know more about these characters and their plight.
Here you have the age old story of someone very talented trying to make it in rock music but is condemned to playing the more seeder places because someone stole their music/act. What makes this story different is that the talent that had his music taken is an immigrant from Berlin who had a horribly botched sex change operation. The botched sex change operation was due, in part, to escape communist Berlin to come to America and be "free and creative" and well, everything doesn't go the way Hedwig imagined. The music Hedwig performs reflects those struggles and inner turmoil. You do feel for this character, you begin to understand this character and you'll want things to be better for this character considering all the crap Hedwig has gone through. Events in recent history pepper Hedwig's story and makes for that greater conflict within Hedwig. Plus having Hedwig as the "star" of a band in which some of the members not wanting to continue in that seedy performance circuit; wanting to be more, to do more. Make no mistake, Hedwig is talented, tough and driven to prove he is the talent. But what makes Hedwig all of those things is what makes the movie interesting.
This is not a film for everyone in this PC world but I recommend it for those who like to expand their film experience beyond the Hollywood mold and take a look at something more creative.