The Watermelon Woman
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Movie Details
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- Clip: The Watermelon Woman (02:42)
- Clip: Video Store (02:18)
Movie Info & Cast
Synopsis
A young black lesbian filmmaker probes into the life of The Watermelon Woman, a 1930s black actress who played 'mammy' archetypes.
Cast
- Cheryl Dunye
- Guinevere Turner
- Valarie Walker
- Lisa Marie Bronson
- Cheryl Clarke
- Irene Dunye
- Brian Freeman
- Ira Jeffries
- Alexandra Juhasz
- Camille Paglia
Letterboxd User Reviews
4.1
161.3K
80.1K
70.5K
- Sep 2, 2018
C.L.I.T. Center for Lesbian Information and Technology
Emily HouselJun 8, 2021thank you cheryl for perfectly capturing the experience of spotting some random actor in an old movie and then watching their entire filmography and learning absolutely everything about them. I feel seen.
eelyJul 21, 2020imagining a world where movie rental stores are a thing again & all the film twitter gays finally find their partners while browsing the shelves. bc in reality my pool is the two old white men shopping in the criterion section of a barnes & noble.
Laura - Jul 15, 2023
"all you do since you don't have a girlfriend is watch those boring, old films" felt like such a personal attack
jeabaJun 14, 2022obsessed with the outfits and colour palette very sad that i don’t work in a video store with other gay people in 1996
🦇rosie🦇Jun 3, 2020"i am a black lesbian filmmaker, who's just beginning, but i'm gonna say a lot more and have a lot more work to do." cheryl dunye is a visionary! this was funny, smart, subversive, ambitious, and unapologetically lesbian. support black female directors!!
Holli - Jun 25, 2020
Funny and incisive. Big fan of the way Dunye uses differing but very defined lesbian characters to explore intersectional lesbianism. Didn’t expect the ending!
demi adejuyigbeJun 11, 2020"it means hope, it means inspiration, it means possibility. it means history" i could watch hours more of this. insightful and delightful
LucyJun 1, 2020I really really loved this! The occasionally terrible acting and the super low budget coupled with great humour and a very touching story at the centre of this film made it all the more charming and so so heartwarming. It’s incredible how realistic the story of Fae Richards…
p e r s i a 🍒
Queue Community Reviews
92%
Community 1,609
Top Reviews
- paloma lovedThe Watermelon Woman
I LOVE LESBIANS if anyone asks me my favorite movie i say this and ironman 2. genuinely one of the best movies i have ever watched and i do rewatch it constantly
Hannah likedThe Watermelon WomanNo because Guinevere Turner who plays Diana is literally one of my professors. Girl is drop dead stunning omg. Such a slay wow
chave likedThe Watermelon WomanI loved the style of this movie and how it captured the characters lives. Very genuine feel overall.
- Miki likedThe Watermelon Woman
I enjoyed this film and how it shows the importance of black history, specifically in the film industry. Cheryl, in the beginning, focused on Fae's relationship with Martha rather than Fae herself and what made her exceptional. I understand being surprised at seeing another black lesbian in film,…
Jojo likedThe Watermelon Woman“Sometimes we have to create our own history” “We’re lesbians Cheryl remember?” WOW this movie felt really authentic and real the interactions and conversations were all very interesting. I liked the project that was going on too even though it was fiction. I enjoyed it 7/10🍉
Sam Spencer likedThe Watermelon WomanWasnt what i was expecting (didnt know what to expect). I liked the whole style of it, fly on the wall type. The flicking between her life and the film she was making! It’s powerful, lost history due to people not being named for films! Trying to find the truth!
- Maziswix likedThe Watermelon Woman
Very interesting. I liked how it was put together, the documentary aspect but a little story on the side as well. It keeps you on the ground. This type of documentary is important. We have to know and remember who paved the way.
kendra likedThe Watermelon Womanimportant and immersive. cheryl dunne became the first out black lesbian to direct a feature film with the watermelon woman in 1996.
Ellis lovedThe Watermelon WomanLoveee this. Obsessed with the style going back and forth between the documentary and the rest of the story. So good
Atom Users Reviews
Metacritic
USER SCORE (6)
Mixed or average reviews based on 6 Reviews
Dunye's film is smart, sexy (the interracial lesbian lovemaking scene prompted an infamous little ruckus over at the NEA a while back), funny, historically aware, and stunningly contemporary.
Marjorie Baumgarten
Austin Chronicle
That it succeeds in being both stimulating and funny is a testament to the talent and open-heartedness of Ms. Dunye, who wrote and directed the movie and is its star.
Stephen Holden
The New York Times
Frequently Asked Questions
How long is The Watermelon Woman?
The movie is 1hr 30min long.
What's The Watermelon Woman about?
A young black lesbian filmmaker probes into the life of The Watermelon Woman, a 1930s black actress who played 'mammy' archetypes.
Who's the cast of The Watermelon Woman?
- Cheryl Dunye as Cheryl
- Guinevere Turner as Diana
- Valarie Walker as Tamara
- Lisa Marie Bronson as Fae 'The Watermelon Woman' Richards
- Cheryl Clarke as June Walker
- Irene Dunye as Irene Dunye
- Brian Freeman as Lee Edwards
- Ira Jeffries as Shirley Hamilton
- Alexandra Juhasz as Martha Page
- Camille Paglia as Camille Page
Who's the director behind The Watermelon Woman?
Cheryl Dunye directed The Watermelon Woman.
Who produced The Watermelon Woman?
Alexandra Juhasz and Barry Swimar produced The Watermelon Woman.
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