Ahead of the Curve Review – Excellent, Informative, Interesting

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Category: Haute This Issue

Written by Janet Walker

Ahead of the Curve, from Wolfe Releasing and Netflix, brings to the screen an insider's look into the life of "Curve Magazine," the first glossy magazine dedicated to the lesbian lifestyle, that brought together a population.

The documentary begins slowly without a real introduction to Franco Stevens and doesn't really become engrossing until we meet her as a young power publisher on a Geraldo Rivera talk show on "Power Dykes," as Frances Stevens. She explains at one time she had it all. We see the video of her elaborate Jewish wedding, and what appears to be the happy couple, and she doesn't deny for three years she was happy.

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She attended a class on sexual roles. The documentary doesn't explain, inner emotional turmoil or the emotional transformation that seemed to be taking place. She explains during a family vacation her husband outed her to her family and she became ostracized. She left without her car and the clothes on her back, she was homeless, and directionless. She moved to San Francisco and the community welcomed her, no questions asked.

Francis Stevens became Franco and began to slowly rebuild her life. As the story is told, San Francisco was and still is the mecca for the gay and lesbian communities, and for her the freedom of self-expression was vital. She transformed into herself.

As the documentary is told in three acts, the second act is dedicated to the trials and tribulations of building this magazine. This idea, like a seed, germinated, and suddenly she was focused, and determined, her idea was ahead of its time. A sure thing. Only no one wanted to financially back her. They all wished her luck as they held the door.

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So sure, of herself and the success of the magazine that was only alive in her mind, that she opened a dozen credit cards, maxed out the cash, and bet it on the races. You expect a pitfall here, but her system worked all day, on every race, and by the end of the day she had won enough to run, pay employees, and print three issues. It was the beginning of a winning streak.

As a person dedicated to journalism and the written word, once we begin to see the work on "Deneuve/Curve" which is detailed throughout the second act of the documentary, it seemed almost as if a higher power was paving each step of the way. And she is a gifted leader exhibiting excellent magazine leadership and direction, and a fearlessness that is necessary for any endeavor.

The magazine's life throughout was impressive. She tells a story of satisfaction with a small number of subscriptions from a mass flyer, a local lesbian bookstore owner sent to her entire database, and really thought that with the dozen pre-paid subscriptions she had begun, with these small humble beginnings until she turned to leave the post office and was called back as the postal worker had a mail sack of subscriptions. And as the story goes, for the next three months, every postal trip ended with the same amount of subscriptions. The response was overwhelming. 

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And once the magazine began to roll out the quality was newsstand perfection. And of course, the downside, national advertisers just were not yet ready to embrace the demographic. It was the early 1990s and while gay and lesbians were active on Clinton/Gore presidential campaigns national brands, especially gender specific brands just were not keen on being seen in a lesbian magazine.

Once they were able to secure Bud Light and Subaru, there was a shift, and then, the magazine was rolling. They secured Melissa Etheridge for a celebrity cover, national advertisers, and it seemed like all the hard work was paying off. Then the crash. The magazine was sued by the French actress Catherine Deneuve who did not want her name associated with the community.

The magazine and Franco were sued on two continents, in two jurisdictions, two countries, which meant two sets of legal teams, legal fees, it seemed obvious that the only out was to fold the magazine or give them what they wanted and settle. So, they chose to settle, and the settlement called for a name change. So, "Deneuve" became "Curve."

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Ahead of the Curve is fascinating and offers a wide lens look into the community that confronts daily assaults on their lifestyle. The story is a little slow in the beginning, but a few minutes later it becomes attention grabbing and engrossing, especially for those in the arts, entertainment, or publishing.

Ahead of the Curve is also a nostalgic time for the San Francisco lesbian community, the summer of energy, ideas, and the freedom to unite to become a coalition.

Excellent, informative, interesting, Ahead of the Curve premiers on Netflix, April 22, 2022. See it, it will surprise you.

Country: U.S.

Runtime: 98 minutes.

Language: English.

Director: Jen Rainin, Rivkah Beth Medow.

Producer: Rivkah Beth Medow.

Co-producer: Jen Rainin.

Executive Producer: Lindsey Dryden.

Cast: Franco Stevens, Melissa Etheridge, Andrea Pino-Silva, Kim Katrin, Denice Frohman, Amber Hikes, Jewelle Gomez, Lea DeLaria, Kate Kendell.