I had originally rented this movie a few years back, and at the time I got about midway through the first scene before I stopped it and returned it to the video store. It just seemed like it was trying to hard to be edgy and bizarre, and I lost interest right away.

I wish I’d given it more of a chance then, because upon having watched it in full tonight, I’ve discovered that it’s actually a really, really good movie. John Cameron Mitchell’s performance is great—equal parts feisty strength and plaintive sadness. Here is a person who’s always sat in the middle of two worlds and never fully fit into either, and you can feel Hedwig’s pain as each person she loves eventually betrays her in some way.

I thought it was really clever the way the songs told the parts of the story that weren’t shown, and the concept behind “The Origin of Love” is right on.

All in all, this is a very well-done movie. It’s too bad the always-amazing Michael Pitt was shamefully underused.