Seeking Mavis Beacon

Watched this at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.

"Seeking Mavis Beacon" is a strange innovative documentary from filmmaker Jazmin Jones with interesting editing choices, conversations and the explores of finding someone who might not exist and technology. Jones provide some strong elements on humor, directing and visual presentation as it creates an engaging Gen-Z observation about Mavis Beacon and technology. Including good conversations from participants and individuals which was mixed of humor and insightful talks.

The documentary does loses its flow because there are too many ideas explored which causes pacing to feel slow and things to go all over the place. I wished the documentary didn't push many ideas together because it did feel a little unfocused through the second act. But as a whole, it still remained an interesting and quirky documentary.

I loved Mavis Beacon and I was really hopeful for this documentary. But holy wow. This is not about Mavis Beacon at all. This is about Jazmin and Olivia, the "DIY Documentarians." All in all it was interesting but landed far from providing any resolution. I found myself pretty unimpressed by their tactics and choices of interviews of those not related to the game or models, although the moments with Jazmin's family were sweet. But the harassment of their subject when it was clear she didn't want to speak to them was so cringy and a little disrespectful. They also refer to Mavis Beacon as "the first AI assistant" and discuss other AI in relation to Mavis, but I'm not sure that's a valid category for a video game host NPC.

I am a true lover of documentaries and detective stories and watching film makers at their craft, but there are times when we have to admit our project failed. Following these film makers in their quest was not only boring but I felt embarrassed for them at times. Because of just how little was uncovered and how ambitious their project was to begin with. Not everything is going to work and sometimes we have to scrap a project.... This is definitely one of those times. There is no reason to watch this documentary. Usually I would say everything is in the trailer but unfortunately the trailer over-promises and the film itself underdelivers.

If you're looking for a cookie cutter film that engages in the detective style discovery process in the typical ways, you'll be disappointed. This film is great because of its DIY nature that reflects the lived realities of Black women attempting write themselves into history. Its a great example of the genuine failures and flunders that come with doing archival work as a Black woman for the sake of preserving a Black woman's legacy. It's meant to display that struggle, thats what made it a 10 star watch to me.

The ending is uneventful but its meant to be. Its meant to show what happens when Black women want to commemorate a Black women that doesn't want to be visible because of what's happend to he when she was visible.

The film feels close to my feet as a Black women on social media and grew up on the internet. Its beautifully through tout and feels so so organic. Also the soundtrack is fire.

Mavis wasn't an ordinary nor a famous person, on the cover of a software's packaging, in 1987. Her name was not even Mavis, and she was not even working in the tech industry.

And although fictional, she embodied womanhood, power and status, that represented so much to so many.

Thanks to this uncommon cultural representation, many women, people of colour, and women in tech (but especially to women of colour, working in tech), borrowed from her the strength to try and disrupt the status quo.

Now, regarding the documentary: its value resides in the recorded testimony of those that were positively affected by her; not on the software engineers or anyone else from the company, photoshoot, etc.

As a matter of fact, Renée L'Espérance's online and offline absence, and the way she always carried herself, spoke volumes. Because everything she had to say, she did it in the 80s. All else is just direct result of all impressed, touched and troubled spectators, for which she has no obligation to answer.

Finally, I must say that whilst some moments made me cringe, I had to remind myself that this bold endeavor was being carried by two young filmmakers, fuelled by genuine curiosity and a certain naïveté. Those values must be preserved and celebrated at all times, and not automatically shamed, because our core is already tainted - especially in such difficult times we were all facing back then (Covid).

All-in all, it was not only inspiring to see their admiration for Mavis, but to see their genuine love for their craft, and their wish to document it for posterity.