The Watermelon

I was able to watch "The Watermelon" from start to finish, and that puts it head and shoulders above most of the no-budget films I've seen. This was made possible by a strong lineup of actors; Will Beinbrink's lethargic Achilles was well-complemented by Elyse Ashton's Ex-Wife/Antigone; her delivery was so spirited and over-the-top, that it took two roles to contain it all. Kiersten Morgan was competent as Persephone, but she seemed miscast; she just didn't have that worn, weary look of someone who's had a rough life-- someone whose mind and body have been through the wringer. For me, the standout supporter was Julia Aks. She was the perfect fit for the role of the nutty Artist-- I found her so convincing, that for a few moments, I was convinced that I was watching a real person, rather than a fictional character played by an actor. My complaint with this movie lies with the direction and editing. At certain points, the movie seemed to slow down so much, that I was fighting to keep my thumb away from the fast forward button. Also, the frequent changes among waking/flashback/dream/hallucination states were hard to distinguish, and thus made the story harder to follow. Shortening (or possibly omitting) a handful of select scenes would have made this film much more watchable. Despite this, though, I can say with few reservations that I had a good time watching "The Watermelon".

I love this movie. It's a very sweet tale of a guy who spends too much time getting stoned with his reprobate buddy until the day when whatever metaphysical forces exist in the universe decide that he needs to get on with it. Achilles (Will Beinbrink) is a good-looking guy with a minor trust fund and a somewhat sullen demeanor. One day, an old man named Homer (Mike Ivy) shows up with a travel trailer painted like a watermelon. Achilles tries to sell it, but his ghostly mother (Willow Hale) intervenes. In the days that follow, all sorts of girls show up wanting to know more about the trailer. One of them, an artist (Julia Rose Aks), in one of my favorite sequences, tries to force her way into the trailer to live, but Achilles has her arrested. Afterwards, he remains sullen, uncomfortable in his own skin and he cannot sleep at night. Then, he's given a second chance - he finds Persephone (Kirsten Morgan), a dirty, stinky runaway,sleeping in his trailer and this time, he invites her in and feeds her breakfast. She's the narrator we've heard since the beginning of the film and from there the story of trailer treachery, absentee fathers, faithless friends and redeemed ex-wives unfolds.

The acting is uniformly superb. Elyse Ashton does two roles in the film and I didn't note her dual performance until the credits. Will Beinbrink and Kiersten Morgan are both wonderful leads. The film it reminds me of the most is Hitchcock's Family Plot. The story is similar mix of metaphysics and serendipity, with the same kind of well-thought out character performances pulled off by actors up to the task. I love the costumes as well.

Highly recommended.

A simple yet entertaining movie: A pretty normal, boring man inherits a trailer painted like a watermelon, and then enters all sorts of characters who are the complete antithesis of normal. Cue an hour of a half of weirdness for the sake of being weird, but not much else. There's nothing really deep or meaningful going on, but that doesn't mean it's not worth the watch. The acting is superb (Beinbrink's apathetic face is simply charming), the storyline is compelling, the pacing is good. So as long as you don't go into it with overly high expectations or groundbreaking cinema, this film will please. A little trippy, more than a little "what the hell is that person wearing?", and a lot of insanity. Good for a lazy afternoon where there's nothing to do, but nothing to write home about.

This film was very unique and well made. I enjoyed the way it unfolded slowly. Great characters and great film.

THE WATERMELON is a small-budgeted comedy-drama full of characters who range from flaky to downright insane. Our hero, Achilles, is stewing at home in clouds of pot smoke following a nasty divorce. His estranged stepfather dies and leaves him a trailer that his step-sister had painted like a watermelon. The presence of the colorful trailer next to his house draws a succession of oddballs into his life, most consequentially a homeless woman fleeing her own bad relationship, and the step-sister returning to reclaim her handiwork.

The only produced screenplay by the late San Diego-based experimental fiction writer Michael Hemmingson, THE WATERMELON keeps the viewer involved, waiting to see what strange things the strange personalities will do next. (Hemmingson claims in the DVD commentary that some of the characters and even some of the events were directly inspired by real life.) The use of ancient Greek names for the dramatis personae was apparently just for the hell of it; there's not much in the way of mythical resonances in the story. The generally unknown (to most of us) performers bring a blank-slate quality to the film, and they're good enough one wonders why there aren't seen more frequently in film and television nowadays.(Hemmingson's credited cameo as "Waiter" apparently is on the cutting-room floor.)

The comedy is of the sort that provokes constant smiles rather than continual guffawing-- not quite Bill Forsyth-level, but almost. If you have a taste for that sort of humor, track this one down and check it out.