The Watermelon Woman (1996)

Cheryl Dunye: Cheryl

Quotes 

• Cheryl : Let me assure you, the hip swinging lesbian style isn't my forte.

• Cheryl : I'm gonna be the one who says: 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.

• Cheryl : Hey! Hey, you're Martin Pumphrey!

  Street Magician : No ma'am, I'm a magician.

• Cheryl : The problem is I don't know what I want to make a film on. I know it has to be about black women; because, our stories have never been told. So, I've been renting movies for - no, I haven't been "renting" movies - but, I get movies from the video store that I work at. And I've taken all these films out from the 30s and 40s with black actresses in them. Like, Hattie McDaniel and Louise Beavers. And in these films, in some of the films, the black actresses aren't even listed in the credits. I know, I was just totally shocked by that.

• Cheryl : We have got to make money payments on the camera. To get to Hollywood, baby!

• Cheryl : I'll lend you some money.

  Tamara : Lend me some money? You want to lend me my own damn money? You worse than white people in a bank.

• Cheryl : Spiritual is not the word. Heavy, Afro, Fem-centric is the word.

• Tamara : All you do since you don't have a girlfriend is watch those boring old films.

  Cheryl : I'd rather watch boring old films than black porn like you.

  Tamara : Okay, there is no need to get into my personal shit up in here.

• Cheryl : Her name: The Watermelon Woman. That's right. Watermelon Woman. Is Watermelon Woman her first name, her last name, or is it her whole name? I don't know; but, girlfriend has it goin' on.

• Cheryl : Can you tell me, do you know who the Watermelon Woman is?

  Black Banker on the Street : Watermelon Woman? Yeah, she's the one who originated what we call Aunt Jemima - like on the syrup bottles.

• Cheryl : Tamara, why are you always constantly clocking women?

  Tamara : We're lesbians, remember, Cheryl? We're into female-to-female attraction.

• Stacey : I saw Queenie.

  Cheryl : Queenie?

  Stacey : Yeah! She was in "Gone With The Wind".

  Cheryl : You mean, Butterfly McQueen.

  Stacey : Well, okay.

• Tamara : So, who's the cutie?

  Cheryl : Some customer.

  Tamara : She's got nice bone structure if you're into white girls.

• Irene Dunye : I'm having a hard time deciding. What do you think? "Cleopatra Jones", "Jason's Lyric", or "Personal Best"?

  Cheryl : Hmm. Well, "Cleopatra Jones" is really fun. Why don't you do "Cleopatra Jones" and - "Carrie". I think the two go really well together.

  Irene Dunye : I know, but, "Carrie"? I hate Sissy Spacek. She's all weird and pale and thin and anorexic in this movie. I kinda like my girls with meat on the bones, you know what I mean? Anyway, I just saw it.

  Cheryl : Well, there's always some sci-fi like "Aliens" or, how about, "Repulsion" with Catherine Deneuve. She goes nuts in her apartment one night.

  Irene Dunye : I just moved into a new apartment. I don't think I need that.

• Cheryl : Damn, Tamara. What's up with that?

  Tamara : Well, we gots to go or Is gonna be late.

  Cheryl : For what? Can't you see I'm just getting into it.

  Tamara : Dang, Cheryl.

• Cheryl : I'm looking for information on the Watermelon Woman. She was a black actress in the 1930s. I seem to be having a bit of trouble.

  Librarian : Nothing comes up. Check the Black section in the Reference Library.

  Cheryl : Well, how 'bout Martha Page, she was a *white* - woman director in the 1930s.

  Librarian : All this information is referenced in the Reference Section. Have you checked - the Reference Section of the Library, Miss?

• Cheryl : You know, what's so weird about this set up?

  Diana : What?

  Cheryl : I don't know, it just feels like, you know, a set up.

• Tamara : That's what's wrong wit chu. I think Yvette's got it goin' on with a bip and a bang.

  Cheryl : You go for that.

• Diana : I studied film. I studied art. I studied art history. I studied law. And, then I just...

  Cheryl : You just gave up, right?

  Diana : Right. I needed to figure some shit out before I wasted more time in school.

  Cheryl : What shit is that?

  Diana : Like what I want to do with my life. You know, I want to do it all.

• Shirley Hamilton : Watermelon Woman? Oh, you mean Fae. Fae Richards.

  Cheryl : I thought her name was the Watermelon Woman?

  Shirley Hamilton : Watermelon Woman? I don't know where you got that mess from. Probably from when she was makin' those movies. But, her name was Fae Richards.

• Cheryl : Can you believe it? Fae's a sapphic sister. A bull-dagger. A lesbian!

• Cheryl : I'm just an old fashioned girl trying to keep up with the times.

• Cheryl : What's up with you and Stacey?

  Tamara : Nothing. I mean, she's gone frigid on me. Zelch!

  Cheryl : Well, don't you think that Stacey...

  Tamara : I don't know what to think.

  Cheryl : I mean, listen to me for a second. Don't you think Stacey is: A. going to school, B. working all the time, and C. you know, it might just be stressed out. I mean, what do you expect?

  Tamara : A little nookie once in awhile.

• Cheryl : I guess its time for Plan J.

  [pulls out a joint] 

• Diana : [in bed, naked and singing]  When you're near me, You're truly, truly scrumptious.

  Cheryl : [talking]  What's that? "Sound of Music"?

  Diana : No, silly, it's "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang".

• Cheryl : The whole thing was quite disturbing. First, she started by describing Fae all wrong. She started talking shit about Fae and all those "coloreds" her sister employed.

• Cheryl : You had a black boyfriend?

  Diana : I had two. No. I actually had three black boyfriends.

  Cheryl : What did your parents say?

  Diana : Nothing! They're liberal hippie types. Actually, my father's sister's first husband was an ex-Panther.

• Tamara : I did not invite you over here to talk about your 'wanna be black' girlfriend.

  Cheryl : Tamara, Diana doesn't want to be black. I mean, I'm getting into her. Can't you see that?

  Tamara : All I see is once again you are going out with a white girl, acting like she wants to be black, and you are bein' a black girl acting like she wanna be white. I mean, what's up wit chu, Cheryl? You don't like the color of your skin nowadays?

  Cheryl : Tamara, I'm black. I mean, who's to say that dating somebody white doesn't make me black? I mean, who's to say anything about who I fuck in the goddamn first place. Okay?

  Tamara : Well, Stacey says she thinks Diana's into chocolate.

• Cheryl : I know she meant the world to you. But, she also meant the world to me. And - those worlds are different.

• Cheryl : What she means to *me* - a 25 year old black woman, means something else. It means hope. It means inspiration. It means possibility. It means history!