Singing Along
Amos Lassen | Little Rock, Arkansas | 08/14/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
""Follow My Voice: With the Music of Hedwig"
Singing Along
Amos Lassen and Cinema Pride
"Hedwig and the Angry Inch" is a great movie, a great stage play and great fun. It has been noted as a milestone in the world of gay cinema and has given us some great songs. A record producer, the creators of the film and some very popular independent rockers have come together to make a tribute album for the Hetrick-Martin Institute which runs the Harvey Milk School in New York City, a haven for GLBT youth. The school provides for at risk youth (primarily gay, lesbian and transgender students who have been forced to leave their home schools by undue violence. This documentary follows the stories of four teens who present their struggles and hopes via the music from the cult musical.
Watching the movie and listening to the glorious music will force viewers to reconsider their preconceptions about sexuality and gender.
"Hedwig" was earth shaking when it was first produced and has come to be an affirming experience for many of us. For those of you who have not seen it, it is the story of a transsexual rock star looking for love. The musical score is dynamic and one of the best written for a musical and for many the music has become part of their lives. The tribute album quickly sold and now we have the DVD of the making of that album. It is a movie of people who understand what made the original play so good and the songs are powerfully interpreted by those that sing them.
The dimension of adding the lives of four kids who are each a Hedwig in a way and showing them trying to get on with their lives is wonderful. These kids have managed to find their place in the world and have accepted themselves and this is so moving to watch.
I cannot recommend this film enough. You will not only be entertained but you will learn about the beauty of our youth and realize that these are our future.
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