If you learned how to type on a computer in the ’80, ’90s, or ’00s, chances are you learned on a program called “Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing.” On the cover of almost every addition featured the presumed titular character – a well-coiffed Black woman – giving a warm, graceful smile. For filmmakers and artists Jazmin Jones and Olivia McKayla Ross, the image stayed with them long enough to want to find the person behind the game and make a movie about it.
It’s hard to quantify exactly what Seeking Mavis Beacon is. Yes, it delves into the history of the program and the almost stereotypically white programmers who made it. It also explores fan culture and what it means to be a Black female artist in 2024. At times it feels like a true crime mystery. But at its heart, the film is a window into Jones and Ross’ relationship.
10 years older, the former is clearly the more established filmmaker of the two, securing free space in an artist collective and securing interviews with subjects and experts alike. Ross is the Gen Z voice of reason, providing a sage comment here and there and leading the two on the right moral path. Their dynamic is fascinating to watch, and while you do learn about Mavis Beacon, the true mystery is how are they going to get through this together.
As the two delve deeper into their quest, the realization hits that she may not want to speak with them. As if there’s more of a fourth wall to break, they take the time to examine the impact and intrusion of what they are doing. It’s not only an ego death, but a rarity to have filmmakers question the ethics of their work.
If exposed to the right audience, Seeking Mavis Beacon could have the same impact as genre-defining works like Grey Gardens, Searching for Sugar Man, or The Thin Blue Line, though that is not to compare it to those films. This documentary is in a league all its own.
Seeking Mavis Beacon is now playing in select cities. Watch the trailer below.
