BY MIKEY MIGO
I’m really surprised that I’ve never officially reviewed this movie. I know I’ve written about in other contexts before, but never a full on review. It’s weird too because I consider this to be one of my favorite movies of all time. I’d have to rate “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” at least in my top 10 or 20 movies of all time. Like with most movies and music, you love something and watch it a lot or listen to it a lot over a short period of time but then you check in on it and take in new aspects of it in other times of your life. That’s kind of what happens with this movie. I loved it at start and shared it with pretty much anyone and everything in my life. Then as the years passed I’ve caught it on IFC(before the added commercials) and occasionally popped in the DVD for those who hadn’t seen it. It’s just a movie that I feel needs to be shared. It’s a movie about love. Simple as that. That’s the core of the story and what’s up. On the exterior the movie is complete freak. It’s about a man who has a strict upbringing in Germany during the whole Berlin Wall stuff. He falls in love with an American soldier and wants to marry and move back to the states with him. In order to do this, he has to have a surgery to remove his penis. The surgery goes wrong and he is left with a one inch mound of flesh. The solider leaves him and he then takes to music. Hedwig starts a band, gets more into music, and then meets a sheltered young man. They bond, form a relationship, and make music. We find out more and more to the story as the movie goes on. Did I mention this is a musical? Yeah, the songs are great. It’s punk rock, glam rock, and some seriously awesome work. The music on its own is worth individual attention but together with the beautiful story, the great acting, and the whole project together is breathtaking. Sometimes, you take movies you love for granted. It’s been a few years since I’ve seen this movie so this past week when it was suggested to watch I really couldn’t argue. This time I noticed things I never had before. I took something new from it and remembered exactly why I love this movie so much. Once you get past the “oddness” and sexuality stuff of the main character, you allow yourself to really feel the movie. If you haven’t seen Hedwig and the Angry Inch then I insist you just go for it. Watch it, keep your mind open, and let the movie take you on the journey I’ve enjoyed so many times. If you truly pay attention, give it some effort, and try to relate on the smallest of levels then you’ll get something out of the experience. I assure you. See it. See it now. See it a million times. A+
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