I found a list on Letterboxd of 100 overlooked films directed by women. I hadn’t seen any of them, and I decided I should. This is the first.
My thoughts while watching:
- “Hey, this looks a lot like Go Fish.”
- “Hey, they just referenced a book about making Go Fish.”
- “Hey, that’s the lead from Go Fish.”
The Watermelon Woman has all of the strengths and weaknesses of Go Fish. It’s about fascinating subjects that are under-represented, and it uses natural settings and performances that sometimes increase the feel of reality. It also struggles to stretch its tiny budget, and the less polished performances can be distracting. It also has the bonus issue of being shot in color. It makes sense to use color to separate current events from the old films and photos, but it’s a lot harder to get color right.
One movie down, 99 to go!