origin of love

Being such a lover of movies and films, I used to find it difficult when faced with the question "What is your all-time favorite?" But I think I can honestly say that no movie has ever affected me more profoundly than Hedwig and the Angry Inch, and if I had to choose just one favorite, that would definitely be it. The movie is funny and sad and poignant and romantic. And even though I'm not a glam-rocker from East Berlin, nor have ever had a sex-change operation (botched or otherwise), I find that I personally identify so deeply with the character of Hedwig, even still to this day. The first time I saw it, during its' original theatrical release several years ago, I was fortunate enough to be the only person in the theatre. I had seen that the reviews were great, but had not allowed myself to read the actual text of the reviews, so as to not spoil it for myself. I had no idea what I was in for. The movie started (..."Don'tcha know me, Kansas City? I'm the new Berlin Wall, try and tear me down...") and there was Hedwig. I felt an immediate connection. Throughout the movie I laughed and I cried, and when it reached the end, I literally sat there stunned with emotion, barely able to breathe. I don't know exactly what it is, but there is something about Hedwig that just resonates in me. Perhaps it is Hedwig's vulnerability... or that feeling of never quite fitting in... or the yearning to find "my other half" (though of course, as we all learn, this is to be found inside ourselves). I have shared the movie with several people since then, hoping to impart the love and emotion that I feel for Hedwig. I think sometimes their initial reaction is "Huh?", but within a few hours or days, the movie always seems to sink in and deliver the message. There must be a little bit of Hedwig in all of us.

The last time I saw you we had just split in two. You were looking at me, I was looking at you. You had a way so familiar, I could not recognize 'cause you had blood in your face, I had blood in my eyes. But I could swear by your expression that the pain down in your soul was the same as the one down in mine. That's the pain that cuts a straight line down through the heart. We call it love. We wrapped our arms around each other, trying to shove ourselves back together. We were making love (making love). It was a cold dark evening such a long time ago when by the mighty hand of Jove. It was a sad story how we became lonely two-legged creatures. It's the story, the origin of love. That's the origin of love.