5. Hedwig and The Angry Inch - 2001
This slight, glam-musical isnt exactly a cinematic masterpiece, but it goes a long, long way on good intentions and emotional honesty. It tells a charming story of rock-star/transvestite Hedwig, played by writer/director John Cameron Mitchell, as she tries her hardest to attain fame and happiness in the shadow of current superstar Tommy Gnosis- who she once trained musically and now envies the fame of. Its an odd film- and certainly not perfect, and I did feel that it could have been a bit longer, but it has many things going for it, primarily the dogged charm and lovely outlook it has for its main character. As we piece together Hedwigs life, we realise that she has been seriously, seriously wronged; growing up in Germany with the Berlin wall, she fell in love with another gay man at a young age, got a sex change so she could be married under the state, and a year or so after that she was dumped. She then, through a babysitting job, came to know Tommy Gnosis, a young musician who Hedwig tutored, all the way to the point where Gnosis had overtaken Hedwig, leaving Hedwig forgotten. It would be easy, then, to make Hedwig a lovable, sympathetic protagonist, in the vein of Karol Karol in Kieslowkis Three Colours White, but instead Hedwig is presented as having her own bundle of flaws as well; she can be harsh, cold, and uncompromisingly cruel to her bandmates. Mitchells performance is superb (bar the slightly off accent), carrying the superb musical set-pieces with aplomb, and making her an eminently watchable character. The film itself is playful, a colourful masterpiece of high-camp theatrics, replete with some wonderful symbolism (the use of gummy bears and sweets, for example), that was certainly influenced by Priscilla, Queen of the Desert with its superbly lavish costumes. Its a fully realised, and uncompromising vision, and this reflects the overall message the film portrays. At the risk of sounding really, really patronising, this film is just telling you to be who you want to be, whoever you want to be, and to never feel bad about that. As Hedwig might tell you, see it and let go! Its an utterly unique and unforgettable experience that exudes positive messages and is the kind of film more people should see. Its totally unlike anything else I have ever seen, and it makes me wish Mitchell would make more films. It will also introduce you to the best lyric I have ever heard- "Six inches forward, five inches back, Ive got an angry inch." Check it out!