The dramedy follows Issa, her best friend Molly, and their other girlfriends as they navigate life in Los Angeles. For a movie or TV show to pass the test, it has to feature at least two women talking to each other about a topic other than a man. Take Game of Thrones for example. The Bechdel Test is a test for whether a movie contains: Its commonly used as a commentary about the lack of female representation in Hollywood. Red flags that you're dealing with a man-child. REVIEWS. Were trying to be conscious of not just meeting this bar. The label of his particular examination is taken after a caricature artist, Alison Bechdel. ABOUT. And it definitely passes the Bechdel test, with a diverse cast of women focusing on their careers and friendships. Its a must watch! The Bechdel (pronounced beck-dell) Test was first created in 1985 by cartoonist Allison Bechdel. The trilogy is over 10 hours long but Arwen (Liv Tyler), Eowyn (Miranda Otto) and Galadriel (Cate Blanchett), all strong female characters, do not meet even once. Lauren OCallaghan. Pipers boyfriend talks to his dad, but usually about Piper. It has a lot of well written three dimensional women, but theyre spread far apart from each other. There's only two named female characters in the whole of the 2008 Oscar winner of Best Picture: Jamal's mother (who dies early on), and Jamal's love interest. None of the women in the movie ever talk to each other. Despite having three strong female characters in Arwen, Eowyn, and Galadriel, theyre all in completely different parts of Middle Earth and they never even meet, much less talk to each other. To pass this step I looked for a three-line sequence. A scene fails this step if any of the three lines in the back-and-forth mention any of the main male characters by name, a male pronoun like he or his, or any of a short list of other male identifiers, such as men, boyfriend, dad, or mr. Kristine Kochanski was a major character in seasons 7 and 8, but Holly had changed back to a male appearance by that point so I dont think Kochanski ever spoke to the female-looking version of Holly. Land acknowledgements are a way for us to reflect upon the duality of our work while we work within our team, our community, and our client organizations to promote greater inclusivity and abolish inequities, we ourselves still perpetuate and contribute to various forms of historical and present oppression. Okay, so, right, Atomic Blonde stars Theron as an MI6 agent who travels to Berlin as the wall is about to fall in order to retrieve a priceless dossier to take down an espionage ring. Aw, Sorkin, you charmer,you. Here are ten television shows today that pass the Bechdel Test. Pixar's record in general is pretty poor. Summit Entertainment. Paramount Pictures. Cinderella. In 10 hours, not one interaction? posts, comments and submissions available. Issa Rae embodies all of these qualities in her character, Issa. To pass, the work simply has . Harry and his friends (several of whom are female) begin making their final moves to take down Lord Voldemort. Ghostbusters (The one with all the women)We loved the 2016 Ghostbusters. And by god, is she an unforgettable one. Mark Zuckerberg and his buddies spend two hours screwing over each other and everyone else around them in pursuit of Facebook billions, apparently in an attempt to prove that nerds cant havefriends. How it passes: Although we dont hear The Brides real name until about halfway through the second movie, her codename is enough to set her apart as a named character. The measure sometimes is enhanced by adding that the two female characters be named in the film. This usually occurs when Elaine overlaps briefly with a minor female character in a scene. Shes not like those other girls because shes basically one of the guys. As with previous Ghostbusters movies, the busters are tracking down some ghosts who are wreaking havoc in New York. Movies that pass the Bechdel Test "Wonder Woman 1984" behind the scenes Courtesy Warner Bros. Movies that do pass the test include: "Kill Bill" Volumes 1 and 2 (2003-2004) "Frozen" (2013). The movie: When Princesses Elsa and Annas parents die, Elsa must become Queen, but during her coronation party everyone finds out that shes been secretly hiding powers (which she can use to freeze anything) all this time. It also crushed the Golden Globes in 2017. Through the artful presentation and deconstruction of implicit and explicit social mores, filmmaker Julia Ducournau forces us to confront the animal in all of us. Go ahead and watch a few episodes while at work. 2. Who talk to each other. for the content of external websites. In fact, no two female characters actually even speak to each other. New Line Cinema. Summit Entertainment The series begins with the three of them working at Scarlett magazine (inspired by Cosmopolitan), and four seasons later, theyre still best friends and bonafide badasses. The test and its rules were first mentioned in Bechdel's 1985 comic strip Dykes to Watch Out For and has three (and later added four) simple rules: To identify female characters, I manually selected names from the list of all speaking characters in the dataset, including both major and minor characters, but excluding unnamed characters like Waitress. A hobbit gets caught up in a huge war when he has to take a magic ring right to the bad guys front door. Girls TripGirls Trip is everything. More. The Bechdel test has three stipulations: two named women characters need to have a conversation about something other than a man. It doesn't cover the case when the lead character is female. . Get the best gaming deals, reviews, product advice, competitions, unmissable gaming news and more! Big Little LiesSpeaking of Laura Dern, lets talk about television for a moment. Considering the fact that the entire population of New Zealand is in these movies, it kinda seems statistically impossible. When they do interact its usually to talk about their place in society with regards to the men and their plans. They trade quips a few times, like when Prof. McGonagall makes a comment about always wanting to use that spell to Mrs. Weasley when she brings the stone statues to life, or when Mrs. Weasley calls Bellatrix a bitchbut no one actually responds and, yknow, talks. We are now operating in a virtual space, but we can still honor and name the physical spaces we all inhabit. Definitely not. Did you see that fight scene where there was no music and she was just fighting and it was painful and awful and brilliant? Overall, women accounted for 25% of those working in key behind-the-scenes roles (directors, writers, executive producers, producers, editors, cinematographers) on the top 250 grossing films in 2021, up from 23% in 2020. Its 2019, high time to get all underrepresented groups in significant numbers behind and in front of the camera! New York? Most of them fail, even ones full of female characters. 1. The Bechdel Test is a metric used for measuring how women are represented in a given film. Some deviations from reality were for humor; some were for drama. Its just to get people thinking about gender and how its presented in film. Then again, its possible that the nurses exchanged at least a few lines complaining about their living conditions, talking about the war, etc., and a conversation about treating a patient who happens to be a man is arguably not really a conversation about a man. So viewers would expect it to pass the Bechdel test with flying colors - and it does. The Morning ShowOof this last season was a toughie (hello, news media + New York + #MeToo + Covid = messy! Failing the test doesnt mean the movies evil or anti-woman, or that passing makes it some sort of strongly feminist movie. Lola must figure out how to come up with 100,000 Deutsche Marks in twenty minutes or her boyfriend will be killed. Literally, it can be about anything but a man! Marvel Studios Users are reminded that they are fully responsible for their own Rebecca Nicholson. Anything, even if its something stereotypically feminine, like shopping or shoes. Your home for data science. It gets uncomfortable at times, but their stellar performances keep us glued. She+ Geeks Out was originally founded on land that is the traditional territory of the Massachusett and Pawtucket tribes, and which is still home to descendants of these peoples. It originated in a comic strip by Bechdel in 1985. Younger is a marathon-worthy series about a fortysomething who pretends to be in her twenties in order to break back into publishing. Her best friend and coworkers are there for her, even at her lowest. Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Rick coaches him to tell a story that passes the Bechdel Test, providing a succinct explanation: "Two women, they both have to have names, and talk to each other about something other than a. 6) Encanto. She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. Whether related to law, business, or politics, Diane, Lucca, Marissa, and Liz in particular had stunning moments of grace, confidence, and jaw dropping cool that we simply loved watching. The Bechdel Test - Everything You Need To Know No Film School 116K subscribers Subscribe 150K views 4 years ago This video essay is part of the "Everything You Need to Know" series created. By continuing to browse, you agree to the use of cookies. The Bechdel test ( / bkdl / BEK-dl) [1] is a measure of the representation of women in film (and, by extension, in fiction in general). 101 Dalmatians (rated G): The original 1961 animated version squeaks . Most of the cast is female. The movie: The 2016 Ghostbusters (opens in new tab) film is technically the third film in the franchise, but actually serves as a reboot, replacing the four main male characters with female alternatives - played by Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, and Leslie Jones. But not dwelling on that, the show quite obviously passes the Bechdel Test, with a strong . So if you want to watch a TV show that passes the Bechdel test and shows the full picture of what it means to be a woman, try turning on one of these TV shows about female friendship below. The Bechdel Test (BT), which checks for a rudimentary level of female-centricity in media, has elsewhere been covered thoroughly for movies, with a crowd-sourced manual approach, but not, to my knowledge, for television, except at a high level or in very selected cases. There are braces, acne, and lots of humiliating moments. More than that, all the women are fiercely strong and morally questionable, presenting a version of women not often seen in the cinema. Star Trek: DiscoveryThe latest addition to the Star Trek universe is soooo goooooood. In some cases, my processing couldnt pick up the scene breaks, or the transcripts didnt contain any; these episodes are each treated as one long scene, which makes it easier to pass this first step, but only slightly easier to pass the other steps than when scenes are properly detected. While Enid occupies herself with finding him a girlfriend, she and Becky grow further apart. The TV shows that have captivated audiences in lockdown include Unorthodox, Normal People, Killing Eve and I May Destroy You. This evil stepmother figure in Disneys 1998 remake is finally receiving the appreciation she always deserved. Big Littles Lies also brings drastically different women together who have one thing in common: Their kids are in the same class. Grace and Frankie Love and hate, fear and obsession, joy and anger, are all represented in their dance. These 11 iconic films, including "To All the Boys I've Loved Before" and "Mean Girls," pass with flying colors. Alison Brie's Ruth . YAS! The Bechdel Test (BT), which checks for a rudimentary level of female-centricity in media, has elsewhere been covered thoroughly for movies, with a crowd-sourced manual approach, but not, to my knowledge, for television, except at a high level or in very selected cases. Eat Sleep Die (2012) Journal Media does not control and is not responsible for user created content, posts, comments, Are there any TV shows that fail the Bechdel Test. Miramax Films. Here are our favorites! Although there is some discussion about the beauty of Chris Hemsworths character at some points - and how ditzy he is. Couldn't have used all that time to write in a conversation between two female characters that wasn't Neytiri and her mother discussing Jake, about, I don't know - like the fact that their whole planet was under threat of being destroyed? But, even though this movie passes the Bechdel Test, it doesn't pass the Dangerous Bear Trope Test. There must be two female characters in the scene. The Bechdel Test explained like you're five It is as simple as that, and you will do this for every scene in the script. The test has three criteria: 1. the movie must have at least two female characters, 2. who talk to each other about something other than a man, and. The Bechdel Test, also known as Mo Movie Measure and The Bechdel-Wallace Test, is a method used in media criticism to gauge the degree of representation and development of female characters within a work of fiction, and therefore, any gender bias against women that may be present in it. Code, or contact the Council, at www.presscouncil.ie, 95 percent of the characters are female, and they communicate with each other constantly throughout the series about non-male-centric topics. We love this list and think many of them go farther than just passing the Bechdel test. Most people probably werent as mindful of the cringe-worthy storylines, one-dimensional characters, and lack of diversity that was, unfortunately, part of the norm before the early 2000s. It shows what women can do when theyre on the same side with the same goal. (Though it should be called the Bechdel-Wallace test, according to the lesbian cartoonist Alison Bechdel, who helped create it.) When you finish the breakdown, you will have a full measure of the quality of the female presence. In order to pass, a film must feature at least two women on screen talking to each other about. Sadness, joy, frustration, bittersweetness. The test asks whether a film features at least two women talking to each other about something other than a man. Seinfeld has only one female character in its main cast, so was bound to do badly in this test; however, it does pass step 1 in almost 90% of episodes. All rights reserved. Yes, but her relationship with French agent Lasalle is significantly more interesting. This special show gives us hope, makes us feel good, and reminds us that aging doesnt have to be awful (despite all those anti-aging ads). But there's no back-and-forth dialogue that actually amounts to a conversation. In 1985, American cartoonist Alison Bechdel included the idea for the Bechdel test (also known as the BechdelWallace test) in a comic strip called The Rule. A movie is typically no more than 2-3 hours long, while the complete run of a successful TV series could add up to over 100 hours. Others such as Bridgerton, The Nevers, and Yellowjackets make the list, too. Cocaine Bear is the latest in a long line of movies to portray bears as bloodthirsty beasts, clamoring for the chance to feast on innocent humans. Have we missed anything? While they both grapple with these feelings, we get to see how gorgeously complicated the human experience is through the lens of this intense and beautifully acted series. The movie's total kill count of . On June 30th, 2008, Jennifer Kesler . While theres been some improvement, much work is left to do. How it passes: Brilliantly, theres not a romantic relationship in sight in Ghostbusters. While there are two female characters, Snow White and the Evil Queen, the latter is not given a name in the film. Remember the test was originally invented to help lesbians find movies theyd like. And to be clear, passing doesnt mean the movies good or bad. As well as showing that they kicked ass at the lab at the same time. The movie, which tells the story of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, features a few female characters, but they never talk to each other. I remember Skyler and Marie in early seasons arguing about Maries shop lifting. Thank goodness theres one more season to go. This test is passed much more frequently: almost every episode of each show passes (blue plus purple, below): However, Friends, Will and Grace, and Married With Children do show some episodes that pass the BT but not the male version (orange). Refine See titles to watch instantly, titles you haven't rated, etc 79 titles 1. News images provided by Press Association The Bechdel Test, Bechdel-Wallace Test, or the Mo Movie Measure [1], is a sort of litmus test for female presence in movies and TV. Like Harry Potter, there are a few brief moments where female characters say a single line at each other, but they dont actually hold a conversationexcept in one scene, where Neytiri and her mother have a drawn out discussion. She joined GamesRadar+ in 2017, revitalizing the news coverage and building new processes and strategies for the US team. They exchange quips a few times, such as when Mrs. Weasley utters the iconic line of "Not my daughter, you bitch" to Bellatix as she protects Ginny. They each have their own baggage which we learn about over time (and theres definitely more to unpack). 483623. The actor describes Harry Styles as "a very kind guy.". Finally, the mother/daughter scenes have nothing to do with Bill and everything to do with The Bride realising that the reason for her revenge - her dead child - has actually been alive all this time. In fact, the example Bechdel gave as a film that passed the test was Alien, simply because Ripley and Lambert have a brief conversation about the alien. Note: Your privacy is important to us, so please know that your information will always remain confidential! The women of this show are complex and the show does a wonderful job of passing the Bechdel test, focusing on their friendships, their careers, their kids. The movie: Jess loves football, but she comes from an orthodox Sikh background, which means her traditional parents want her to give up playing and go to university, become a doctor, and marry a nice Indian boy. The Flight AttendantWe arent Big Bang Theory people, so we didnt have much of a frame of reference for Kaley Cuoco, but wow does she and her castmates do a spectacular job. 3. The Bechdel test is too incomplete to be effective. Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale, adapted from Margaret Atwood's critically acclaimed novel of the same name, does justice to the book which cannot be said about most TV/film adaptations out there. 3) About something other than a man. It sounds simple,. Um, no. men. Spoiler alert: Her secret doesnt stay a secret, and when her real age is revealed, she has to figure out how to repair broken relationships. Were ready for Season 6! To pass the Test, the movie must include at least two women, who have names in the film, and that have a conversation with each other about something other than a man. CONTACT. With Kristen Wiig and Rose Byrne going head-to-head in this hilarious bridesmaid-off, expect a lot of laughs and plenty of super awkward moments. note Additionally. The 25 best movies that pass the Bechdel Test with flying colors By Lauren O'Callaghan, Louise Blain, Zoe Delahunty-Light, Rachel Weber, Sam Loveridge last updated May 06, 2022 The best movies. Kate McKinnon was everything. As explained above, this can happen when the storylines pair characters of different gender together. Easily passing the Bechdel test, Dead to Me brings together two women with completely different ways of being in the world together to deal with some wild bananas weird stuff. Sounds simple, right? Mrs. Maisel is about a woman who is getting a divorce from her husband who cheated on her and finds her voice as a comic in the 1950s/60s and to be clear, she is definitely seen as a female comic. The Bechdel Test -- created by Alison Bechdel in her 1985 comic, "Dykes to Watch Out For" -- is a well-known measurement of gender bias in movies. Mary Berry Cooks / Headline Publishing Group / Headline Publishing Group. No females speak to each other in thatone.). Marvel Studios. Fantasies are notoriously male-dominated (Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings, we see you!). According to . Popularized by cartoonist Alison Bechdel in a 1985 strip called Dykes to Watch Out For and inspired by Virginia Woolf, the test measures the representation of women in film, television, books . Heres how it works. We encourage you to, Nine Recent TV Shows and Movies That Pass the Bechdel Test, have a look at this article to see who sits behind the camera, Ghostbusters (The one with all the women), How to measure the impact of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Training, Understanding Social Identities in the Workplace. The singer reveals how grueling life was on the road. Heres how the test works a piece of fiction has to satisfy three requirements: Thats it. The readers of Dykes to Watch Out For (where the test originated) probably love this show. Fox Searchlight Pictures. But alas, many Marvel movies do not actually pass the Bechdel Test. Besides Friends, Will and Grace, and Married With Children, the other shows have a lopsided number of male characters, so are unlikely to be left without a male-male storyline. Miramax Films Theyre flawed, complicated, and sometimes make horrible decisions. So real. Bath Sam Loveridge. How it passes: Its easy to see how Bridesmaids (opens in new tab) passes the Bechdel Test - all the main characters are women and they talk about almost everything but men - but on the surface, it doesnt seem that female positive. This test, put forth by cartoonist Alison Bechdel in a comic strip from 1985, posits . Sutton, Kat, and Jane are rising HBICs (aka head bitches in charge) in their industries. A paraplegic dude gets his brothers hand-me-down remote control alien, falls in love with another alien, fights off a bunch of humans, and decides he likes being an alien more, because apparently he thinks living on a planet full of terrifying animals and waiting for the humans to come back sounds like a goodtime. The movie: This dystopian movie paints a bleak picture of a future where humanity has lost the ability to reproduce. Let us know! But what makes this show pass the Bechdel test so handily is her relationship with her manager played by the brilliant Alex Borstein (she is everything). Its won all the awards, and for good reason. Alex and Bradley, newly brought together co-anchors for The Morning Show, have a complicated relationship. Here are ten television shows today that pass the Bechdel Test. It uses the same lines identified above as part of a back-and-forth between two characters, and sums these by the gender of the pair of characters involved: female-female, male-male, or male-female. Because representation matters, and many of the people writing, directing, and producing are still majority men. Lers kick things off with a choice that surely wont disappoint. And this is despite the fact that Cate Blanchett is Liv Tyler's grandmother in the film, so it would have been completely possible for them to schedule some sort of visit together to say goodbye in case Middle Earth went down in flames! Not only are the relationships between the female characters strong and loving (see: Rebecca and Keeley, Nora, Noras mom Sassy, and the powerful moments between Rebecca and her mother), one might argue that Teds lack of patriarchal bullshit is what makes him a part of the feminist society ideal that many of us wish for. The Bechdel Test is a measure of gender bias in movies. Her pregnancy is discussed with the surprisingly sympathetic assassin Karen Kim, plus her last talk with O-Ren Ishii in the snow in particular is touching as they gradually admit their respect for each other. While the show is problematic in a few important ways, it does move the needle, but frankly its just nice to watch fantasy with less cleavage for a change. 6. Wire service provided by AFP and Press Association. Leia and Rey have more agency than weve seen women have in previous movies, and one of our favorite scenes is when Laura Derns character (Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo) and other female soldiers were discussing their next military move. Its clear that their relationships with each other, as well as with the larger community of human computers, gives them the support they use to succeed. Theres maybe 3.5 major female characters (Skyler, Marie, Lydia who came in late, arguably Andrea) and they rarely talk to each other. Euphoria doesnt shy away from topics that would never have been included in a teen show ten years ago. Second, the women must talk to each other. The percentage of women working as directors on the top 100 films retreated from 16% in 2020 to 12% in 2021. Lauren OCallaghan. The Bechdel test is the most popular tool for assessing female representation in film. How it passes: Its true that Frozen (opens in new tab) only has two named female characters, but the movie is literally about them and their relationship to each other. Basically, theres a lot to talk about other than men. Its pass rate drops dramatically at steps 2 and 3. Most any military-based show. Despite Lola being considered one of the most well-rounded female characters ever put to film, Run Lola Run still fails The Bechdel Test for one simple reason Lola never has a conversation with another female at any point in the movie. By role, women accounted for 17% of writers (even with 17% in 2020), 26% of executive producers (up from 21% in 2020), 32% of producers (up from 30% in 2020), 22% of editors (even with 22% in 2020), and 6% of cinematographers (even with 6% in 2020).. The test is named for Alison Bechdel, creator of the comic strip Dykes to Watch Out For, who made it known to the world with this strip. Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini form an unlikely friendship over, well, the death of Applegates late husband. Absolutely. We all play a part in creating a more equitable and just workplace and world. The film follows three different possible outcomes for her actions and explores her relationships and interactions with the people and the world aroundher. Disney Plus. But its still surprising to find out that some of the most popular films of all time fail the test, and often for reasons you may have never considered. 2020, however, has already been a promising year for Bechdel Test-passing hits. Its just something that makes you think how few fully developed female characters there are. This site uses cookies. The movie: The Bride is hellbent on - surprise surprise - killing Bill because he and his assassins tried to kill her and her unborn child many years ago. Star Wars: The Last JediWhile Carrie Fisher has always been a strong female presence in the Star Wars series, The Last Jedi takes female interaction to a whole new level. In order to pass, the film or show must meet the following criteria: It includes at least two women, note who have at least one conversation, note about something other than a man or men. To pass the test, a film needs to meet 3very simple criteria. We think its time to go beyond it. It also crushed the Golden Globes in 2017. This test attempts to acknowledge the disparity between female and male characters in media. But the show is very, very real. 11 The Imitation Game Based on the 1982 biography Alan Turning:. Married With Children went in the other direction. Yes, please. You can see most of the code used for this and the previous post here. Books? In order to pass the test, a film must feature at least two women who speak to each other on a subject that does not revolve around men. Registered office: 3rd floor, Latin Hall, Golden Lane, Dublin 8. pic.twitter.com/rW4NDxMObf Seamus Ryan (@meanderingtripe) March 1, 2021 The squads a little more preoccupied with ghost bustin than affairs of the heart, and casually saving the world from an evil menace. She is complicated and shes funnier than most (all?) Breaking out the results by show and season and plotting against broadcast year, there is some sign of an upward trend. Then it might be kinda shocking to find out that out of 2,500 movies, only about half pass the test. It's commonly used as a commentary about the lack of female representation in Hollywood.