7.7
Viewer Rating
Combines user and critic ratings from four sources
The Watermelon Woman (1997)
The Watermelon Woman (1997)
Overview
A young black lesbian filmmaker probes into the life of The Watermelon Woman, a 1930s black actress who played 'mammy' archetypes.
Starring Cast
Where to watch
Rating & Dimensions
Bias Rating
Analyzing...
Progressive
Political: Strong Left
Diversity: High
LGBTQ: Positive
Viewer Rating
7.7
Overview
A young black lesbian filmmaker probes into the life of The Watermelon Woman, a 1930s black actress who played 'mammy' archetypes.
Starring Cast
Where to watch
Detailed Bias Analysis
Analyzing...
Progressive
Primary
The film explicitly promotes progressive ideology by critiquing the historical erasure of Black queer women in cinema and advocating for their representation and the reclamation of marginalized narratives.
The movie features intentional DEI-driven casting, centering Black lesbian characters and experiences. Its narrative explicitly critiques the historical erasure of marginalized identities within traditional frameworks, making DEI themes central to its storytelling.
Secondary
The Watermelon Woman offers a profoundly positive and affirming portrayal of LGBTQ+ characters and themes. It centers a Black lesbian filmmaker's journey to uncover queer history, depicting her and other queer characters with dignity, complexity, and agency, while actively challenging historical erasure.
The Watermelon Woman centers on a Black lesbian filmmaker's journey to document the life of a historical Black lesbian actress. The narrative explores themes of race, sexuality, and historical erasure within a lesbian context, without featuring identifiable transsexual characters or themes.
The movie does not contain any action or adventure elements.
The Watermelon Woman is an original mockumentary film featuring characters created for its narrative. It is not an adaptation of existing source material, a biopic of a real historical figure, or a reboot of legacy characters, therefore no gender swaps occur.
The Watermelon Woman is an original film from 1997, not an adaptation of pre-existing source material or a biopic. Its characters were created for this specific movie, meaning there is no prior established race to be altered.
Viewer Rating Breakdown
User Ratings
7.1
6.9
Critic Ratings
9.2
7.4
More Like This
Center
6.6
Tortilla Soup
(2001)
Political: Center
Diversity: Moderate
Progressive
7.9
Stormy Weather
(1943)
Political: Leans Left
Diversity: High
Leans Progressive
6.7
Chocolat
(2000)
Political: Leans Left
Diversity: Moderate
Leans Progressive
6.7
Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist
(2008)
Political: Center
Diversity: Moderate
LGBTQ: Positive
Leans Progressive
7.4
Cooley High
(1975)
Political: Leans Left
Diversity: Moderate
Center
6.8
Sweet Charity
(1969)
Political: Center
Diversity: Moderate
Leans Progressive
9.0
Modern Times
(1936)
Political: Strong Left
Diversity: Low
Progressive
7.7
Hairspray
(2007)
Political: Strong Left
Diversity: High
LGBTQ: Positive
Progressive
7.7
Love, Brooklyn
(2025)
Political: Leans Left
Diversity: High
Progressive
7.0
Bulworth
(1998)
Political: Strong Left
Diversity: High
Progressive
7.5
Torch Song Trilogy
(1988)
Political: Strong Left
Diversity: High
LGBTQ: Positive
Leans Progressive
6.5
Away We Go
(2009)
Political: Center
Diversity: Moderate
LGBTQ: Positive
Leans Progressive
6.7
The Threesome
(2025)
Political: Leans Left
Diversity: Moderate
LGBTQ: Positive
Leans Progressive
7.5
Carnal Knowledge
(1971)
Political: Leans Left
Diversity: Moderate
Progressive
7.8
The Half of It
(2020)
Political: Leans Left
Diversity: High
LGBTQ: Positive
Leans Progressive
6.7
I Love You Phillip Morris
(2010)
Political: Leans Left
Diversity: Moderate
LGBTQ: Positive
Leans Progressive
6.8
Eternity
(2025)
Political: Leans Left
Diversity: Moderate
LGBTQ: Positive
Progressive
7.4
Out
(2020)
Political: Leans Left
Diversity: High
LGBTQ: Positive
Center
8.0
Silver Linings Playbook
(2012)
Political: Center
Diversity: Moderate
Leans Progressive
7.7
Beginners
(2011)
Political: Leans Left
Diversity: Low
LGBTQ: Positive