I am drawn to films that are, for the most part, the product of one person's creativity. In an era when so many films seem to be generated by test market audiences and committees, it is refreshing (if not always fulfilling) to see one person (or sometimes two) allowed to realize her or his own vision.

Pulp Fiction by Quentin Tarantino and Fargo by the Coen brothers are both films that might have been watered down in the Hollywood machine. But they are bold films that their creators had the freedom to turn into something new and exciting instead. And Hedwig and the Angry Inch is another such film.

Written, directed and starring John Cameron Mitchell, he has the privilege of being able to claim, in this case, 51% of the praise for Hedwig. The other 49% goes to Stephen Trask, who wrote the lyrics and music, and also performs in the film.

How can I find an eloquent way to insist that you see this film immediately? If I could, I would open your skull and pour my experience of this film directly into it. This is a movie that succeeds on every possible level: visually, verbally, musically, artistically. This is a movie that actually has something to say. It's smart-- god, it's smart-- without being "highbrow" or inaccessible. It pokes fun at pop culture on one end, and talks about the profound nature of love on the other.

This film is ultimately about division. It explores the divide between people in love, between two halves of a city (East and West Berlin) and within Hedwig herself. The tabloids identify Hedwig as a "drag queen" but the truth is rather more complicated. The pansexual survivor of a botched sex change operation, Hedwig is her own, indefinable creation and the center of this extraordinary film.

The plot is, sort of, as follows: an ex-lover has stolen the songs they wrote together and become a Marilyn Manson-esque star. In the meantime, Hedwig is following him from city to city, playing to teeny tiny crowds in adjacent coffee shops and other makeshift venues. The film follows Hedwig as she deals with questions of betrayal, fame, passion and fulfillment.

And oh, the music. The music! The film is actually adapted from Mitchell's off-Broadway musical by the same name, and there are songs throughout the film. Somehow, Mitchell combines crafty editing, camera work and even animation, using the songs to advance the plot, to flash back and forward in time, and to explore Hedwig's evolution as a person. And at the same time, they're just fucking great songs.

Enjoy this film for it's great music. Or enjoy the amazing performances. Check out the visual inventiveness of the direction. Enjoy the wit and brilliance of the writing. Or, if you can manage to enjoy all of the above, maybe you'll love this film as much as I do.