The Watermelon Woman

The first film by and about an African-American lesbian, writer-director Cheryl Dunye's fantasy is a "mockumentary," focusing on recapturing the life and times of a fictionalized 1930s Hollywood actress. Dunye plays herself as a video store employee who yearns to be a director. She decides to make a ...more

Although it's far more interesting as a cultural artifact than as a film, this first effort from indie director Cheryl Dunye is not without a certain threadbare charm. The acting is lousy, the production values are miniscule, and the self-conscious tone is often off-putting. But underneath all the limitations imposed by the director's inexperience and lack of funding, The Watermelon Woman tells a story that hasn't been told before. Cinema-as-self-reflection is a favorite topic of film theorists, ...more