☛ Cette critique est aussi disponible en français [➦].

Translated by Florence Bois-Villeneuve. 

Being the first feature-length film directed by a Black lesbian in the world, The Watermelon Woman is an absolute must in queer cinema. Director Cheryl Dunye herself plays the lead role, that of a young filmmaker working in a video store. This character is also named Cheryl. Fascinated by Black actresses and their invisibilization in movies produced in the 30’s and 40’s, the protagonist tries her best to find the identity of an actress who played a stereotypical “mammy” role, credited only as “The Watermelon Woman”. Through her research, we then discover the story of Fae Richards. Although the film’s credits tell us that this famous “Watermelon Woman” is ultimately a fictional character imagined by Dunye, the erasure of Black women from the history of cinema is painfully real, and the director skillfully uses the codes of the documentary genre to denounce this violence. 

Dunye’s use of the mise en abyme cleverly serves her purpose. During the production of The Watermelon Woman, she was faced with the inaccessibility of some archive material, so she had to create it herself with the help of photographer Zoe Leonard. The film was the subject of controversy at the time, with a Washington Times reporter criticizing the fact that Dunye had received government funding. It was considered scandalous that a film featuring a lesbian erotic scene could be financed by American taxpayers. Now an anthology piece, this movie has since been selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress in the United States.

Cheryl Dunye’s groundbreaking work pierces through cinematic imagination and gives a voice to Black lesbians who have been silenced for too long. With her sharp, insightful humour, Dunye portrays everyday moments between lovers and friends, where the protagonist is faced with issues similar to those experienced by “The Watermelon Woman”. The finely drawn parallels between their experiences of oppression allow us to ground Cheryl Dunye’s challenges in a broader understanding of the representation of Black and lesbian women in film. 

“I am a Black lesbian filmmaker, who’s just beginning; but, I’m going to say a lot more and have a lot more work to do.¹” 

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 ¹ Excerpt from the movie

Reference

Director/creator: Cheryl Dunye
Title: The Watermelon Woman
Date of publication: March 5, 1997

This movie is available on Kanopy.