the anti-moulin rouge

love! wigs! karaoke!

saw hedwig and the angry inch last night. with peter. [note: hadn't seen peter since that date way back in early july, but whatever. i'm not interested other than as the occasional movie-going buddy.] it was grrrrrrrrreat!

it's a rock musical, aka an off-broadway show, aka a book by john cameron mitchell. hedwig (nee hansel) was born in east berlin. to get out, hansel became hedwig and married an american g.i. 'the angry inch' is what's left of hansel after the hurried pre-marital operation ("six inches forward, five inches back"). later, divorced and living in a trailer in kansas city, hedwig transforms herself into an "internationally ignored" rock singer, falls in love, gets hurt, and tells her life story through song.

the film has some things in common with the recent moulin rouge: it's an over-the-top musical, it's luxuriously filmed, it's about a woman living outside the mainstream. i liked moulin rouge very much, and i like hedwig even more.

there are a few minor (minor!) problems with the film, in my humble opinion: the ending doesn't quite know where to end, and there are a couple of clumsy scenes earlier on. but overall, it's an extrodinary film that simultaneously tugs at your heart without being sappy and is hilarious without being stupid.

i recommend that you all go see it. oh, and when you do, write me and let me know if you think tommy is real (or if he's hedwig's male alter-ego, a la fight club).