The Watermelon Woman

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The Watermelon Woman ★★ 1997

Cheryl (Dunye) is a young, black, lesbian video store clerk who wants to be a documentary filmmaker. She becomes obsessed with a black actress seen in some 1930s black films, who was known only as the “Watermelon Woman.” Doing research, Cheryl discovers the woman's name was Fae Richards (Bronson) and that she was a lesbian who had an affair with her white director. While deciding to film a documentary about Fae, Cheryl's personal life begins to parallel Fae's when she briefly falls for white customer, Diana (Turner). 85m/C VHS, DVD . Cheryl Dunye, Valerie Walker, Guinevere Turner, Lisa Marie Bronson; D: Cheryl Dunye; W: Cheryl Dunye; C: Michelle Crenshaw; M: Paul Shapiro.