I really enjoyed this film! I thought Cheryl Dunye was very captivating as both an actress and a filmmaker. In our class discussion we talked about the difference between the fiction aspect at the end compared to the film Daughter Rite. As upset as I was with Daughter Rite, I did not feel the same way about this film. I think that while The Watermelon Woman is not actually a real person, her story line could easily be interchanged with a real actress from that time period.
I like how the film also included parts about Cheryl’s life. The relationship between her and her bestfriend was very interesting. One thing that I’d like to touch in is some of the comments her best friend made. We always talk about in class how a woman doesn’t nee a man to be successful, or to be happy. I think sometimes this gets bogged down in only hetero relationships. I think this film shows it happens no matter what. Maybe it has to do with being a woman no matter the sexual orientation. Cheryl is constantly being set up on blind dates, and being told to find someone. Cheryl seems content with being independent. We often see this in other films too. Overall, I think it is interesting that, despite the sexual orientation, women are always being told they need a partner.
Something else I am remembering about the film was the phrase “the family.” Throughout the film, the question “Are you in the family?” meaning are you a lesbian, was asked many times. I think that this was interesting, and I’ve never heard the LGBT community discussed as such. I think this question was asked in order to establish some level of security, familiarity, and acceptance. On multiple occasions in the film, Cheryl’s indication that she was in fact a member of the family allowed her the insight and permission to enter and explore the Watermelon Woman’s past. She gets in touch with different people with first hand accounts, like Faye’s partner, and has access to the materials of the center in the city because of this shared identity.