Hedwig and the Angry Inch

Stephen Trask and John Cameron Mitchell's film adaptation of their musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch was a flop when it was released in 2001. America just wasn't ready for the story of Hedwig, a genderqueer performer from East Germany who was stranded in Kansas after a failed marriage. The DVD release of the film became a cult classic, however, thanks to Trask's sublime songs and Mitchell's incredible performance as Hedwig. In the film, Hedwig's faith in the transformative power of rock & roll keeps them afloat in the fields of Kansas. That faith also helps lift fellow outcast Tommy into a wider world, and together Tommy and Hedwig are gonna knock rock on its ass. But Tommy runs off with all of Hedwig's beautiful songs and becomes a huge star on his own. Once again Hedwig is stranded, trailing Tommy's very successful tour with the much less successful band, the Angry Inch, playing crappy seafood places to Tommy's arenas. The Reel Late film series presents Hedwig and the Angry Inch at 11:55 p.m. Friday and Saturday (September 6 and 7) at the Landmark Tivoli Theatre (6350 Delmar Boulevard; www.landmarktheatres.com). Tickets are $8.