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The Watermelon Woman
Directed by
Cheryl Dunye
Not Rated
1996
85m
Drama
,
Comedy
,
and more
7.1
92%
57%
Add to Watchlist
A young black lesbian filmmaker probes into the life of The Watermelon Woman, a 1930s black actress who played 'mammy' archetypes.
More
Where to Watch The Watermelon Woman
Kanopy
Free
Criterion Channel
Subscription
Amazon Video
Rent $2.69
Buy $12.99
+4 more
Cast of The Watermelon Woman
Cheryl Dunye
Cheryl / Director / Writer
Guinevere Turner
Diana
Valarie Walker
Tamara
Lisa Marie Bronson
Fae "The Watermelon Woman" Richards
Cheryl Clarke
June Walker
Irene Dunye
Self
Brian Freeman
Lee Edwards
Ira Jeffries
Shirley Hamilton
Alexandra Juhasz
Martha Page / Producer
Camille Paglia
Self
Sarah Schulman
CLIT Archivist
V.S. Brodie
Karaoke Singer
Shelley Olivier
Annie Heath
David Rakoff
Librarian
Toshi Reagon
Street Musician
Christopher Ridenhour
Bob
Kat Robertson
Yvette
Jocelyn Taylor
Stacey
Bill Wayterra
Photographer
Elaine Freeman
Bride's Mother
Erin Cramer
Bride
Wellington Love
Groom
Toni Nash
Groom's Mother
Zoe Goldberg
Little White Girl
Calder Goldberg
Little White Boy
Shanell Johnson
Little Black Girl 1
Olivia Bokelman
Little Black Girl 2
Madelyn Bokelman
Little Black Girl 3
Barry Swimar
Relative in Yamulke / Producer
Sara Vogt
"Plantation Memories" Mistress / Cassandra Brooke (photo)
Ana Margaret Sanchez
"Souls of Deceit" Mulatto
Eve Oishi
Karaoke Cute Girl / Woman in Audience (photo)
Joy Malinowski
Emcee
Anthony Christopher
Black Banker on the Street
Suzi Nash
Black School Teacher on the Street
Earl Pittman
Sorry Rosie 1
Jonathan Ellis
Sorry Rosie 2
T. LaMonte McKinnon
Sorry Rosie 3
S. Elizabeth Evans
Leather Girl on the Street
Amadee Braxton
Bus Stop Girl 1
Denise Sneed
Bus Stop Girl 2
Robert Reid-Pharr
Street Queen in Library Line / Fred DeShields (photo)
David Hanson
Grungy White Boy
Rita Porter
White Woman at Produce Truck
Brian Baisemore
Produce Man
Gail Lloyd
Diana's Black Date
Tatum Kendall
White Girl Student 1
Tania Galloni
White Girl Student 2
Jake Carlo
White Boy Student
Zanobia Webb
Poet
Nana Korantemaa
Drummer
Nana Akousa Agyiriwah
Percussionist
Virginia Manning
Annie's Girlfriend
Patricia Ellis
Mrs. Page-Fletcher
Lillie Hayes
Her Maid
James Charles Roberts
Newsreel Narrator (voice)
Robert Sciasci
Police Officer
A. Ron Marigna
Police Officer
Donnita Hamilton
June's Next Door Neighbor
K. Brent Hill
J. Liberty Wells
Jody Benjamin
Josie
Claudine Benoit
Butch at Party
Zoe Bissel
White Bar Dyke
Anna Blume
Eleanor Van Clyde
Mark Breitenberg
Claude Thornton
Kenrick Cato
Ray Blake / NAACP
Kristina Deutsch
Sandra Vincent
Charlene Gilbert
Card Playing Dyke
Reggie Griffin
Hambone Jones
Valerie Manenti
Rent Party and White Bar Dyke
Lilly Marnell
Femme at Party
Fawn McGee
Bobbi / Willa Clarke
Darrell Moore
NAACP
Luciana Moreira
Set Stylist
L.M. Doria Roberts
Reba Richards / Banana Skirt
Linda Salerno
Margaret Fitzgerald
Carolyn Shapiro
White Actress
Julia Zay
White Bar Dyke
The Watermelon Woman Ratings & Reviews
Chicago Reader
Andrea Thompson
They don't get much more groundbreaking than Cheryl Dunye's landmark of queer cinema.
Patheos
Eve Tushnet
Rambling, sweetly serious but also willing to do some self-deprecating satire, equal parts time capsule and still-relevant sheaf of questions.
Common Sense Media
Corrina Antrobus
Cheryl's gentle storytelling allows room for a scrumptious romantic thread that hits all the beats of a stylish romcom exploring interracial dating.
Washington Blade
Brian T. Carney
Bold film that explores the intersection of race, class and sexuality...
them.
Michael Cuby
The Watermelon Woman is an enduring classic whose mere existence - even today - still feels like a miracle.
From the Front Row
Mattie Lucas
An era-defining work, and an oft-overlooked queer cultural touchstone that feels somehow warmhearted and urgent - as confident and assured an artistic statement as any directorial debut you're likely to find.
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Rosalind Bentley
It gives us something we don't see much of in film -- young black women claiming their space and sharing it with the rest of us.
Chicago Tribune
Achy Obejas
The Watermelon Woman is quite smart, remarkably sophisticated filmmaking for a first-time director.
New York Daily News
Dave Kehr
Dunye's salvation is her sense of humor. She's good at creating light, bantering dialogue, and there are a couple of sharp, satirical scenes.
Philadelphia Inquirer
Steven Rea
[It] has the poignancy of a history retrieved from obscurity, reflecting new light on the past and the present. And even if the history here isn't real, the emotions it triggers - and its sly musings about racial and sexual identity - most definitely are.
Arizona Republic
Bob Fenster
At its best, The Watermelon Woman is fresh and funny about love and friendship, with something serious to say about racism and changing racial conflicts through, the eras. But the movie doesn't have enough to be about.
Boston Globe
Jay Carr
A sweet, sassy mockumentary.
Chicago Reader
Jonathan Rosenbaum
A lighthearted and for the most part lightweight pseudodocumentar.
Bitch Media
Alyx Vesey
In creating a rich, complex film about the processes of filmmaking and the interstices of identity, Dunye's The Watermelon Woman gets at the risk and reward involved in creating one's own history, which so often melds truth with fiction.
Village Voice
Serena Donadoni
Funny and smart, full of biting humor and astute observations about identity and history, Cheryl Dunye's audacious, joyous debut feature captures the process of falling hopelessly in love with the movies.
Slant Magazine
Clayton Dillard
It's a film of such multitudinous interests and storytelling pursuits that its unfolding replicates the ecstasy of newfound romance.
New York Times
Stephen Holden
[It] walks a fine line between serious intellectual inquiry and outright spoof. 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.
Los Angeles Times
Kevin Thomas
Dunye has much to express, and she does it with humor, energy, wit, passion and perception.
San Francisco Chronicle
Ruthe Stein
For all the serious issues The Watermelon Woman tackles, the film never takes itself too seriously. Dunye has infused it with a lightness that seems to match her spirit.
Austin Chronicle
Marjorie Baumgarten
With this film, the director has created something she calls the "Dunyementary." I think the term frames it perfectly.
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