206. Ahead Of The Curve; movie review

 

 

AHEAD OF THE CURVE

Cert 12A

98 mins

BBFC advice: Contains infrequent strong language, moderate sex references, nudity, discrimination

We really have to tip our collective hats to people who change the world.

Franco Stevens recognised the need for a magazine for the lesbian community and spent every cent she had on setting it up.

Thirty years later, women tell how Deneuve, later renamed Curve, changed their lives for the better.

Yes, once upon a time the printed word really did have that power.

Anyway, Stevens explains how she left her marriage after her husband outed her to her family but then realised that lesbians were on the fringes of society.

So, she took out a string of new credit cards and went down to the track, hoping that backing winners would help her raise the money for her new magazine.

Incredibly, she chose horses well and Deneuve was born.

Nowadays, being a gay woman is not a reason to hide away - high-profile celebrities such as KD Lang, Ellen Degeneres and Jodie Foster have seen to that.

But 30 years ago - there was a need for solidarity and Stevens discovered the platform in her magazine.

Three decades later and after a freak accident, she is in a wheelchair and the magazine has been sold and looks as if it is about to go out of business.

Thus, her partner Jen Rainin's documentary not only looks back at her achievement but also examines the relevance of the printed word and the current political climate surrounding the LGBTQ+ community.

Stevens, in common with many of us who worked in print, is saddened by her publication's demise but discovers that there are so many other ways of spreading the word.

Indeed, she finds that her legacy can be found in the strength of young women of today.

Through interviews with people who were around in the early 90s and footage of the day combined with modern-day campaigners, this is an enlightening and uplifting documentary.

It is not aimed at a straight, middle-aged man but I was, nevertheless, impressed.

Reasons to watch: Inspirational campaigning 

Reasons to avoid: Its forlorn hope for magazines as a news platform

Laughs: None

Jumps: None

Vomit: None

Nudity: Yes

Overall rating: 7.5/10

Did you know? Originally called "Deneuve", the magazine had to change its name to Curve following a lawsuit from French actress Catherine Deneuve.

The final word. Jen Rainin: "I realised how little source material there was and how few really well made and well-distributed documentary films existed to help me access our history as queer women. I started to realise this story needs to be told as a non-fiction film first, and that’s really where the idea came from." Lesflicks

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