This film is about a young woman who wants to do a film project but can't think of anything worthwhile, until a character in an old film takes her interest. She decides to make the actress, listed in the film's credits as 'the watermelon woman', the subject of her project. In the scenes that follow, she discovers the the actress's life mirrors certain elements of her own. It is a gentle story about love, disillusionment, race and time- how we don't have much of it. The acting is spontaneous and fresh, with well developed characters- no one is presented as perfect, or evil. It is not a template film- no car chases, no rom-com clichés (or clever twists on them). Like all good thoughtful films it makes us look within. For some people this is uncomfortable. I am none of the things the main character is, but for a short while she has communicated a little bit of what it feels like to be her.
Review of The Watermelon Woman
The Watermelon Woman
(1996)
What it's like to not be a white straight male.
2 April 2015
Warning: Spoilers