ASDF ;LKJ (CREDIT: NEON)

Starring: Not Mavis Beacon

Director: Jazmin Renée Jones

Running Time: 102 Minutes

Rating: Unrated

Release Date: August 30, 2024 (IFC Center in New York City)/September 6, 2024 (Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Chicago)/September 13, 2024 (Additional Cities)

What’s It About?: In a case of “Only 90s Kids Can Understand,” Seeking Mavis Beacon doggedly attempts to uncover the truth behind the once-ubiquitous software program that taught a generation of children how to utilize their keyboards as efficiently as possible. Launched in 1987, Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing and its title character delivered a regal air to the burgeoning personal computer sector. A lot of people apparently believe that Mavis Beacon was a real human being, but she was in fact a fictional character originally brought to life by model Renee L’Esperance. For filmmaker Jazmin Renée Jones, Mavis Beacon was one of the most influential people of her childhood – and so therefore was L’Esperance. Thus, she felt absolutely compelled to make a documentary to uncover how Renee became Mavis, and why she then just … disappeared.

What Made an Impression?: Society in the Machine: Jones feels a vibrant kinship with anyone who still believes that Mavis Beacon is a real person, probably because she used to believe that herself as well. Her movie doesn’t dive completely into the Mandela effect, but it is indebted to a society that is for better or worse perpetually connected to the online world, both thematically and formally. A good chunk of the film plays out on computer screens, with vintage Mavis Beacon game footage, FaceTime conversations, and chunks of viral memes. Its style in the early going reminded me of the Rodney Ascher doc A Glitch in the Matrix, which examined the possibility that we’re living in a simulation within the context of a post-Matrix world. I’m intrigued by how this setup posits that Beacon has been just as influential as Neo, Morpheus, and Trinity, although Jones doesn’t really stick with this approach. Alas, I kind of wish she had, as Seeking Mavis Beacon could have benefited from being a little less prosaic as it moved ahead.
Documentarian, Document Thyself?: It becomes pretty clear early on that Jones’ journey to contact L’Esperance will be rather quixotic. That’s not entirely disappointing, as Jones does manage to interview some of the other important figures behind Mavis’ creation. And with the digital snooping aid of her “cyberdoula” partner Olivia Ross, they also manage to track down a bit of a mild cover-up. But with L’Esperance proving to be firmly unreachable, the movie fills time with Jones’ and Ross’ personal struggles. Ultimately, Seeking Mavis Beacon is a documentary whose ostensible subject is just too far out of reach. Jones is too perseverant (or less generously, too stubborn) to accept that, though. There’s plenty of oomph to this story, but its inability to grapple with its limits makes for a frustrating viewing experience.

Seeking Mavis Beacon is Recommended If: You’re Okay with a Documentarian Becoming the Stealth Subject of the Documentary

Grade: 2.5 out of 5 Home Keys