Put on some make up!

Rating: Null/10 (13 July 2002)

Hedwig puts the glamour into glam rock with a delicious wildcat
comic touch. What makes this film even better is the Plato-derived
mythology which posits a whole different spin on our strange little
globe. In the end though, the truth Hedwig finds is the simplest of
all. Its a movie which grows more attractive with each viewing and
requires just a little romantic attachment from the viewer at first but
once the love affair is underway you're swept up.
Hedwig and the Angry Inch are a band, and Hedwig is the
acid-tongued leader who unsuccessfully stalks a young man -
Tommy Gnossis - who stole not only Hedwig's heart but most of
the back catalogue. Hedwig's story is told in flashback mixing the
stoushes with megastar Tommy's security with the tale of a young
German boy who "put on some make-up" and lost himself in
performance.
The film is a classic "journey to the centre of the self", "my life is a
song" and "love the one you are" musical explosion with energetic
performances and a touching, endearing creation of character
from director/star John Cameron Mitchell. If there is any criticism
its that the deleted scenes you can find on the DVD should have
been left in there. The beauty contest is a gem.
There's not a false note in the performances and the streamlined
film buzzes by with stinging one-liners, cute comic jabs, and a
dynamic visual sense on what was a pretty tightly budgeted effort. I saw the film first almost a year ago and now with the DVD have a
weekly Hedwig fix. This is a cult film waiting to explode. Get to it.