150 Word Review: 'The Watermelon Woman' (1996)
A history lesson
Cheryl Dunye's The Watermelon Woman was ahead of its time, and very much a 1990s indie movie. Dunye directed, wrote, and starred in this slacker comedy about race, sexuality, and history. Like Kevin Smith's early ‘90s classic Clerks, The Watermelon Woman is about a pair of 20-somethings trapped in dead-end jobs at a video store. However, unlike Smith's wry white dudes, Dunye's main characters are a pair of wry queer women of color.
Dunye plays Cheryl, an aspiring filmmaker obsessed with Black actresses in 1930s and 1940s Hollywood, many of whom played thankless servant roles in uncredited roles. One of these actresses was dubbed “The Watermelon Woman,” and Dunye instantly decides to make a documentary about her. Was she gay? Along the way, Dunye falls for Diana, a laidback white chick played by Guinevere Turner. Dunye’s Cheryl is fiercely proud of who she is, but doesn't take herself too seriously.