This, the first African-American lesbian feature film, is a fascinating, effervescent tale of love discovered and history uncovered. Director Dunye plays a 20-something black lesbian who juggles her nascent filmmaking career with her current job as a video store clerk and becomes obsessed with an African-American actress from the 1930s and 40s. This actress, initially only known through her film credits as "The Watermelon Woman" is a beautiful and apparently intelligent woman whose roles were limited to "mammie"-type characters. Cheryl decides to investigate the woman’s life and make a movie about her. Along the way she faces problems with her best friend and falls in love in the arms of a white woman. This film touches on serious issues like black representation in cinema, and inter-racial dating, while maintaining a pleasantly light tone.