
Ahead of the Curve 2020
Distributed by Good Docs
Produced by Jen Rainin, Rivkah Beth Medow, and Lindsey Dryden
Directed by Jen Rainin and Rivkah Beth Medow
Streaming, 97 mins
High School - General Adult
LGBTQAI+; Mass media; Women’s history
Date Entered: 01/24/2025
Reviewed by Sarah O'Shea, Access Services Librarian, SUNY OswegoDeneuve, later renamed Curve, is one of the longest-running and best-selling lesbian magazines in the United States. The documentary Ahead of the Curve illustrates its impact on the lesbian community in the early 1990s.
The woman behind this publishing force is Franco Stevens. Through Ms. Stevens' life and vision, the viewer follows the history of this ground-breaking magazine and modern LGBTQAI+ history. In her early 20s, down on her luck and on the outs with her family, Ms. Stevens literally bets it all (at the horse track) to start a magazine she recognized was needed for her community. Through home videos and photos depicting Ms. Stevens’ life and interviews with her as well as her family, friends, and colleagues, the viewer learns how impactful the existence of this magazine was.
As Ms. Stevens and her wife reflect on the magazine's future in a time when few read magazines and the concepts of gender, sexuality, and identity are more complex than in the magazine's early days, the documentary is adept at framing the changes in the community. It highlights the considerations older members of the community must make while also owning their place in creating the existence of that very community. As one person in the film puts it, it is both a wonderful and tragic thing that gay media has become much more mainstream. It no longer requires them to create their own media for their voices to be heard, but they may also lose out on telling their own unique stories themselves. This film is recommended for high school to general audiences and would be a wonderful addition to LGBTQAI+, mass media, and women’s studies classes.
Awards:Jury Grand Prix - Image+Nation Film Festival; Best Documentary, Best Director, Audience Award, Long Beach LGBTQ; Audience Award Best Documentary, aGLIFF, Reeling Chicago, Tampa International, OUTfilm CT; Best Documentary, Out at The Movies
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