Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

The Watermelon Woman Blu-ray Movie Review

Deep questions incoming...

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown December 8, 2023

As a white CIS male raised in a mid-Atlantic protestant family, I genuinely feel inadequate in putting words to screen reviewing writer/director Cheryl Dunye's fascinating, complex dramedy, The Watermelon Woman. Cry "woke" all you'd like (I take it as a compliment) but I hardly feel suited to analyzing, much less criticizing, a film so personal, at-times so vulnerable, so immersed in the black lesbian experience. I'm not scared I'll offend. I think I've learned by now when to speak and when to let others speak, or when it's best to not only keep opinions to myself, but to not form opinions in areas my input isn't needed or invited. No, I'm a visitor here. A passenger on someone else's journey. A student stepping into someone else's shoes and being actively educated about what another race, gender, sexuality and culture thinks and feels. In short, a dude trying to take it all in. I know a great movie when I watch one, and The Watermelon Woman is a great independent feature. I also know when I'm ill-equipped to fully relate or empathize with a filmmaker or protagonist simply because I haven't lived, experienced or felt the things playing out before me. And so I remain a curious, fully engaged observer, longing to reach a point in our culture when artists like Dunye aren't marginalized but are accepted and appreciated for their true selves and all they have to offer society.

The wry, incisive debut feature by Cheryl Dunye gave cinema something bracingly new and groundbreaking: a vibrant representation of Black lesbian identity by a Black lesbian filmmaker. Dunye stars as Cheryl, a video-store clerk and aspiring director whose interest in forgotten Black actresses leads her to investigate an obscure 1930s performer known as the Watermelon Woman, whose story proves to have surprising resonances with Cheryl’s own life as she navigates a new relationship with a white girlfriend (Guinevere Turner). Balancing breezy romantic comedy with a serious inquiry into the history of Black and queer women in Hollywood, 'The Watermelon Woman' slyly rewrites long-standing constructions of race and sexuality on-screen, introducing an important voice in American cinema.

Like many indie features made on a shoestring budget that tell an exceedingly personal story, The Watermelon Woman is hindered only by its obvious limitations; first and foremost, its performances, which blend a small collective of strong, believable actresses with many a so-so local thesp getting a shot at the big screen or, worse, someone with zero desire to act doing a filmmaking friend a favor. A necessary evil unfortunately. The resulting mockumentary-within-a-movie captures the personality and vibe of Philidelphia circa the mid-90s, but doesn't exactly feature the best talent in town filling every part. Turner, Valarie Walker and especially Dunye deliver, and then some, so it isn't a major distraction, and shares more than one thing in common with the likes of Kevin Smith's Clerks. (Although The Watermelon Woman has far more important things on its mind than just slacker living and toiling away at a dead-end job.) Sexuality and identity is at the forefront, followed by race and socioeconomic status, and Dunye balances it all with surprising effortlessness. Her autobiographical fiction is layered and smartly designed to explore all manner of who a person is and how it compares to who they want to be and who others expect them to be.

If I have any complaint it's that the final minutes of The Watermelon Woman seems unsure of where it should cast its final lot: to Cheryl and Diana's story or to the mockumentary that's slowly being constructed before our eyes. Which takes precedence, the life of the artist or the art they create? It's a question I hoped Dunye would examine more closely in the closing moments but I'm not the artist, so I don't get to determine the questions the art poses. Perhaps in a way that's even more compelling. I came away from The Watermelon Woman a tad overwhelmed. But in the ensuing days I found myself thinking about it more and more. How entrenched in my own experiences have I become? No matter how much I fancy myself in touch, or woke, or in the know, or whatever the kids call it nowadays (we used to just call it being empathetic), how distant have I become from other races, cultures and sexualities? Have I become more interested in being seen as an ally than in actually being an ally? And for that matter, when was the last time I asked someone who needed an ally how they would like me to proceed? These may not be the questions you find yourself asking, but that's the ultimate power of The Watermelon Woman. It will leave you thinking, inquiring and, hopefully, bettering yourself and those around you.

The Watermelon Woman Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in a faithful 1.33:1 aspect ratio and presented in a 1080p/AVC-encoded video transfer created from a 2K director-approved digital restoration (itself sourced from the original 16mm A/B negatives), The Criterion Collection release of The Watermelon Woman is beautifully resolved and accurate to Dunye and cinematographer Michelle Crenshaw's intentions. The uninitiated by scoff when the film first begins intercutting rough-hewn standard definition interview footage with more striking high definition photography, but don't be fooled. It's all presented here as it's meant to be seen. Colors are rich and vibrant, with natural fleshtones and excellent contrast. Detail is top notch, bolstered by a pleasingly filmic veneer of consistent grain that only adds to the texture of the film. Edges are refined and clean as well, and close-ups reveal every smoothness, imperfection and nick on an actress or actor's skin. Better still, the only blocking, banding, halos and stair-stepping you'll spot are in the standard definition segments. The HD portions of the film never falter. The Watermelon Woman couldn't feasibly look much better than it does here.

The Watermelon Woman Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

True to the film's original sound design, The Watermelon Woman is presented with a solid DTS-HD Master Audio 3.0 mix. Dialogue is clean, clear and precise, and effects are carefully prioritized in the soundscape. There isn't any rear speaker or low-end channel output but that doesn't mean the experience lacks power or immersive qualities. The mix doesn't sound tinny or thin (except in low-fi street interviews, as it should) yet still retains the fly-on-the-wall traits of its indie roots.

The Watermelon Woman Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Meet the Filmmaker: Cheryl Dunye (HD, 16 minutes) - Dunye introduces herself by way of her upbringing, career evolution, her draw to Philidelphia, her desire to tackle a project about interracial lesbian relationships, and the highs, lows and controversies of making The Watermelon Woman.

• Cheryl Dunye and Martine Syms (HD, 19 minutes) - Filmmaker Martine Syms joins Dunye to discuss the topics that drive their work and push them to aim beyond entertainment to art that changes perception.

• Alexandra Juhasz and Thomas Allen Harris (HD, 23 minutes) - Producer Alexandra Juhasz and filmmaker Thomas Allen Harris share a conversation about sexuality, identity and the power of filmmaking.

• Early Short Films by Cheryl Dunye (HD, 63 minutes) - Six short films are included: Janine (9:08), She Don't Fade (23:50), Vanilla Sex (4:01), The Potluck and the Passion (21:48), An Untitled Portrait (3:20) and Greetings from Africa (9:31).

• Criterion Booklet - Critic Cassie Da Costa's excellent essay, "Faking It! Making It!", is included (and well worth reading), along with a few production and disc details.

The Watermelon Woman Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Watermelon Woman is a strong indie feature; one I wish I had discovered long before now. (It debuted in 1996.) Better late than never, I suppose. Even at nearly 28-years old, the film felt relevant and more than timely, inspiring questions I realized I needed to ask myself today. Criterion's Blu-ray release makes it that much easier too with an excellent video transfer, solid DTS-HD Master Audio 3.0 mix and a decent selection of supplemental materials. Recommended.