Movies like The Early Works of Cheryl Dunye
The best movies like The Early Works of Cheryl Dunye are The Watermelon Woman (1997), Cold Souls (2009) and A Complete History of My Sexual Failures (2008). If The Early Works of Cheryl Dunye hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedThe Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Three More (2024)7.5/10 from 246 votes
- NewestSwiped (2025)Released 2025
The Watermelon Woman (1997)
A young black lesbian filmmaker probes into the life of The Watermelon Woman, a 1930s black actress who played 'mammy' archetypes.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCold Souls (2009)
Paul is agonising over his interpretation of 'Uncle Vanya' and, paralysed by anxiety, stumbles upon a solution via a New Yorker article about a high-tech company promising to alleviate suffering by extracting souls. He enlists their services—only to discover that his soul is the shape and size of a chickpea.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Complete History of My Sexual Failures (2008)
The egocentric documentary-maker Chris Waitt traces his romantic ineptitude and sexual impotence through awkward interviews with irate ex-girlfriends and stunts involving S&M parlours, Harley Street doctors and Viagra overdoses. The results are often hilarious, sometimes moving and speak directly to the hapless paramour in all of us.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGood Hair (2009)
An exposé of comic proportions that only Chris Rock could pull off, GOOD HAIR visits beauty salons and hairstyling battles, scientific laboratories and Indian temples to explore the way hairstyles impact the activities, pocketbooks, sexual relationships, and self-esteem of the Black community.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Last Repair Shop (2024)
In a warehouse in the heart of Los Angeles, a dwindling handful of devoted craftspeople maintain more than 80,000 student musical instruments, the largest remaining workshop in America of its kind. Meet four unforgettable characters whose broken-and-repaired lives have been dedicated to bringing so much more than music to the schoolchildren of this city.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Three More (2024)
Four tales unfold in Wes Anderson's anthology of short films adapted from Roald Dahl's beloved stories, "The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar", "The Swan", "The Rat Catcher", and "Poison."
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisI Can't Think Straight (2008)
Tala, a London-based Palestinian, is preparing for her elaborate Middle Eastern wedding when she meets Leyla, a young British Indian woman who is dating her best friend. Spirited Christian Tala and shy Muslim Leyla could not be more different from each other, but the attraction is immediate and goes deeper than friendship. But Tala is not ready to accept the implications of the choice her heart has made for her and escapes back to Jordan, while Leyla tries to move on with her new-found life, to the shock of her tradition-loving parents. As Tala's wedding day approaches, simmering tensions come to boiling point and the pressure mounts for Tala to be true to herself.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisKaty Perry: Part of Me (2012)
Giving fans unprecedented access to the real life of the music sensation, Katy Perry: Part of Me exposes the hard work, dedication and phenomenal talent of a girl who remained true to herself and her vision in order to achieve her dreams. Featuring rare behind-the-scenes interviews, personal moments between Katy and her friends, and all-access footage of rehearsals, choreography, Katy’s signature style and more, Katy Perry: Part of Me reveals the singer’s unwavering belief that if you can be yourself, then you can be anything.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFeminists: What Were They Thinking? (2018)
In 1977, a book of photographs captured an awakening - women shedding the cultural restrictions of their childhoods and embracing their full humanity. This documentary revisits those photos, those women and those times and takes aim at our culture today that alarmingly shows the need for continued change.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLemonade (2016)
The second "visual album" (a collection of short films) by Beyoncé, this time around she takes a piercing look at racial issues and feminist concepts through a sexualized, satirical, and solemn tone.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe World Unseen (2007)
A drama centered on two women who engage in a dangerous relationship during South Africa's apartheid era.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPariah (2011)
A Brooklyn teenager juggles conflicting identities and risks friendship, heartbreak, and family in a desperate search for sexual expression.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBecoming (2020)
Join former first lady Michelle Obama in an intimate documentary looking at her life, hopes and connection with others as she tours with "Becoming."
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTupac: Resurrection (2003)
Home movies, photographs, and recited poetry illustrate the life of Tupac Shakur, one of the most beloved, revolutionary, and volatile hip-hop MCs of all time.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisSelena y Los Dinos: A Family's Legacy (2025)
Never-before-seen footage and intimate interviews celebrate the life and legacy of iconic Mexican American singer Selena Quintanilla and her family band.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisWHAM! (2023)
Through archival interviews and footage, George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley relive the arc of their Wham! career, from 70s best buds to 80s pop icons.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSwiped (2025)
Whitney Wolfe uses extraordinary grit and ingenuity to break into the male-dominated tech industry.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Souvenir: Part II (2021)
In the aftermath of her tumultuous relationship with a charismatic and manipulative older man, Julie begins to untangle her fraught love for him in making her graduation film, sorting fact from his elaborately constructed fiction.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGia (1998)
Gia Carangi meteorically rises to modeling fame in the late 1970s but becomes overconsumed by persistent loneliness and drug addiction.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisI Am Ali (2014)
Unprecedented access to Muhammad Ali's personal archive of "audio journals" as well as interviews and testimonials from his inner circle of family and friends are used to tell the legend's life story.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
Like The Early Works of Cheryl Dunye and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Early Works of Cheryl Dunye?
The closest matches to The Early Works of Cheryl Dunye are The Watermelon Woman (1997), Cold Souls (2009) and A Complete History of My Sexual Failures (2008). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Early Works of Cheryl Dunye?
Start with The Watermelon Woman (1997), the closest match to The Early Works of Cheryl Dunye.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Early Works of Cheryl Dunye?
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Three More (2024), rated 7.5/10 by 246 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Early Works of Cheryl Dunye?
Swiped (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The Early Works of Cheryl Dunye?
Yes: The Watermelon Woman (1997), Cold Souls (2009) and A Complete History of My Sexual Failures (2008).
How are movies similar to The Early Works of Cheryl Dunye chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Early Works of Cheryl Dunye, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.