Review of Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001) by Darryl R — 11 Apr 2009

The themes explored in this film touch religion, spirituality, and identity, not only sexual and gender identity but also self-identity as it relates to love. There were some powerful images, and the songs pretty much rocked. In fact, the singular most appealing part of the film is the musically rich and powerful songs delivered in a tour de force performance by Mitchell.

Because, while the music may be the soul of the movie, the magic and heart behind Hedwig is the man who created her in word and who played her both in the film and in the initial stage version. Mitchell oozes pure charisma, and the script/book, which he wrote, contains some acidly funny one-liners and observations about life and identity in addition to some emotionally powerful passages that Mitchell delivers with true panache. Since the film is Hedwig's story, Mitchell's performance as the main character was particularly vital in creating a connection to the viewer.

The film, however, loses focus, somewhat ironically, in its direction and cinematography, possibly in the transition from stage to celluloid. When the story is told in flashback or in a dream sequence, the techniques were visually interesting and often reflective of the primary emotions being conveyed; however, the more emotionally intense scenes, such as the intimate exchanges with Tommy, employed a more straightforward, visually uninteresting technique, which makes narrative sense but did not adequately draw focus to the budding relationship in a way that justified Hedwig's later obsession. Also, Mitchell's performance wavered in the scenes where more straightforward dialogue was used, and Pitt's heartbreakingly haunting performance also lost some of its luster when his character interacted with Hedwig, as if the two actors weren't all that comfortable together. In other scenes, such as the concert/gig scenes, the imagery and lighting played with colored strobe effects that ultimately felt too busy, even if the intention was to punctuate Hedwig's unresolved anger. In essence, the general visual ideas could be classified as extremely theatrical in presentation, and the lack of consistency could be symbolic of Hedwig's long, up-and-down road to self-acceptance, but it rendered the film version of this unusual tale a bit disjointed in its pacing.

The other notable element of this film was Hedwig's fantastic costumes and wigs. Their raucously colorful and occasionally sparkly design further added to the theatricality of the piece.