THE INCREDIBLY TRUE ADVENTURE OF TWO GIRLS IN LOVE (1995) | Dir: Maria Maggenti I was working in the advertising department at Miramax alongside my friend Jennifer Martinez when I first heard the name “Maria Maggenti.” Her name had overnight become synonymous with success for young women directors, a hero who had graduated from NYU and made her first feature. The film is so wonderfully heartfelt and so beautifully made and it was the first lesbian romance I had seen that felt like a story about people I knew. Its roots were solidly in the romcom genre, but this was different. It wasn’t just that it was two girls, it was about class and ethnicity and culture. It spoke to the time we were living in and had an eye on the future, as well, with an assumption of acceptance. It didn’t pander. I loved it. Later, when I became friends with Maria, I understood even better why the film had such heart and smarts, but also why it was so infused with an urgent sociopolitical flavor. And joy. I hated the poster at first because I wanted it to feature the girls kissing, I wanted it to be as fearless as the title, but as time has passed, I think it is perfect. It has an uplifting, jubilant unpredictability. It looks the way first love feels.