The Watermelon Woman
1996 · 85 min · Director: Cheryl Dunye
Show plot summary (may contain spoilers)
Cheryl is young, Black, and lesbian, working in Philadelphia with her best friend Tamara and consumed by a film project: to make a video about her search for a Black actress from Philly who appeared in films in the 30s and was known as the Watermelon Woman. Following various leads, Cheryl discovers the Watermelon Woman's stage name and real name and surmises that the actress had a long affair with Martha Page, a White woman and one of Hollywood's few female directors. As she's discovering these things, Cheryl becomes involved with Diana, who's also White. The affair strains Cheryl's friendship with Tamara. More discoveries bring Cheryl (and us, her audience) to new realizations.
Emotional fingerprint
The Watermelon Woman (1996) — Movie. Top emotional signals: Curiosity 30%, Empathy 25%, Love 20%. Source: AI estimate. Shares describe emotional signal, not percentages of people. Your experience may differ. How we measure
AI estimate · no viewer votes yet
How we measure
AI estimate
Share of emotional signal, not the percentage of people or a probability of enjoyment.
Each viewer contributes one response, split equally across their selected emotions. When available, an automated estimate supplies a prior that is blended with those responses. Counts include distinct viewers, not automated estimates or archived anonymous votes. Fewer than 3 viewers is an early estimate; more responses do not guarantee certainty.
Why it feels this way
The strongest emotional signals are Curiosity, Empathy, Love. Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance. AI estimate.
Is it worth watching?
Consider this title if you are looking for Curiosity, Empathy and Love. Its IMDb rating of 7.1/10 suggests a generally positive audience reception. For these leading emotions, its Feel Score is 70/100.
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Cast
Fae "The Watermelon Woman" Richards
June Walker
Self
Lee Edwards
Shirley Hamilton
Martha Page
Self
CLIT Archivist
Karaoke Singer
Annie Heath
Librarian
Street Musician
Bob
Yvette
Stacey
Photographer
Bride's Mother
Details
- Directed by
- Cheryl Dunye
- Written by
- Cheryl Dunye, Douglas McKeown
- Type
- Movies
- Released
- 1996
- Runtime
- 85 min
- Country
- United States
- Ratings
- Feels mostly
- Curiosity
- Data updated
Where to watch
Rent
Feels similar
More like this →Emotion overlap shows mood similarity, not a prediction of enjoyment.
