The Bechdel Test is a type of sexism test in the bracket of films. In 1985, American cartoonist Alison Bechdel. 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. policy. All the Charlize Theron. You were so very close, JamesCameron. You can change your settings or, 10 surprising films that fail the feminist Bechdel test, Mary Berry Cooks / Headline Publishing Group, These women have a conversation with each other. We've managed to find 25 of the best movies that pass the Bechdel Test. As explained above, this can happen when the storylines pair characters of different gender together. Scared her people will turn on her, she runs away and loses emotional control plunging the Kingdom into an eternal winter. If you need a reminder of how strong women are, then turn on Glow. Because representation matters, and many of the people writing, directing, and producing are still majority men. Entertainment News. Despite having an array of fierce and funny female characters, the last movie of the Harry Potter installments disappointingly doesn't feature a single conversation between the women. Neither speak to each other or ever meet. Alex and Bradley, newly brought together co-anchors for The Morning Show, have a complicated relationship. Of course, people watch movies for the simple pleasure that the story brings. As the title lets on, Dead to Me isnt a light-hearted show. 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. Having acquired hundreds of sitcom episode transcripts, I can apply the test programmatically to each episode of these . 20th Century Fox. And, sure, maybe its not realistic to have female characters in historically accurate movies set on ships in the 18th century, such as 2003sMaster and Commander with Russell Crowe, which features zero females. Harry and his friends (several of whom are female) begin making their final moves to take down Lord Voldemort. HelloGiggles.com is part of the Dotdash Meredith Beauty & Style Group. The Bechdel Test, if youre not familiar with it, is a benchmark for movies developed by Alison Bechdel in 1985. Lola must figure out how to come up with 100,000 Deutsche Marks in twenty minutes or her boyfriend will be killed. Despite being a children's animation company, only 25% of the characters in it are female, only 4 out of 14 Pixar films pass the Bechdel test, and Brave is the only movie to have a female protagonist. How it passes: Ghost World (opens in new tab) is basically all about the friendship between super sarcastic teen Enid and her best friend Becky. I have compiled my ten movies and tv shows that have crushed the Bechdel test. The sparkling, progressive dialogue pretty much consists of, He doesnt need you, he has me., And Andrea the android talks to Nurse Chapel about a man in What Are Little Girls made of. ABOUT. Thank goodness theres one more season to go. In a world where superhero movies reign supreme, it's hard to imagine any of them not passing the Bechdel Test. And as a sidenote, can we just say, basically anything that Laura Dern does is freaking gold. Dead To MeJen and Judy are complicated. The movie: The all-singing, all-dancing movie adaptation of the stage musical Chicago (opens in new tab) sees Rene Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Richard Gere sing their hearts out as two female jazz stars/murderesses and the amoral lawyer trying to get them off. Frasier performs similarly badly; although it had two female characters in the main cast, Roz and Daphne interacted relatively rarely (this pairs conversations passed the BT in only 14% of episodes). "Glitch". 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: BA1 1UA. New Line Cinema. 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. Now, thats not to say that theyre all friends or even that their relationships are all healthy. Creators, writers, and stars Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle portray versions of themselves in the year 2000. Well, if you're looking for a female fish in the sea you'd be hard pressed to find one in Nemo's world. In 2020, the archive shows that 78 films passed the Bechdel Test out of 329 films released in the U.S. and Canada. Especially the last season, with its female villain. The readers of Dykes to Watch Out For (where the test originated) probably love this show. By providing the information below you will receive early-bird invitations to our events, exclusive musings tailored to your interests, and access to our curated mentorship program. 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. Summit Entertainment. Star Trek: DiscoveryThe latest addition to the Star Trek universe is soooo goooooood. Big Little LiesSpeaking of Laura Dern, lets talk about television for a moment. Some deviations from reality were for humor; some were for drama. Holdo a total, er, force (RIP). 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. Finally, although we can guess what the result will be, I computed the male equivalent of the test: two male characters must talk about something other than a female character. But there's no back-and-forth dialogue that actually amounts to a conversation. Proving that women . At a time when toxic masculinity is still very much alive and well, this entire show is a breath of fresh air. Love and hate, fear and obsession, joy and anger, are all represented in their dance. The actor describes Harry Styles as "a very kind guy.". This evil stepmother figure in Disneys 1998 remake is finally receiving the appreciation she always deserved. 95 percent of the characters are female, and they communicate with each other constantly throughout the series about non-male-centric topics. There are also a handful of episodes that do not pass either test (grey). There are only three named female characters in the original trilogy with speaking roles Princess Leia, Aunt Beru, and Mon Mothma, one of the leaders of the Rebel Alliance. Absolutely. When Ive seen people discussing the Bechdel test with regard to television, theyre usually talking about individual episodes and not the series as a whole. The Bechdel test was designed by cartoonist Alison Bechdel in 1985. Remember the test was originally invented to help lesbians find movies theyd like. Its 2019, high time to get all underrepresented groups in significant numbers behind and in front of the camera! Thankfully, by Toy Story 3 Pixar had included a conversation between female characters that involved something other than men. Most any military-based show. Aaron Sorkin, the films writer, actually commented on the lack of three-dimensional female characters in an interview with Stephen Colbert, saying that the women are prizes. To pass, a movie must have two named women converse about something other than a man. Pipers boyfriend talks to his dad, but usually about Piper. But while the entertainment industry still has a lot of work to do, there seems to be a positive shift happening when it comes to female-led shows. The characters must talk about something other than a male character. Probably because, well, just have a look at this article to see who sits behind the camera. 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). pic.twitter.com/rW4NDxMObf Seamus Ryan (@meanderingtripe) March 1, 2021 There arent enough shows that embrace female insecurities. To pass this step I looked for a three-line sequence. There is no clear correlation between the budget or revenue of a movie and its Bechdel score. 2. Who talk to each other. If you were ever looking for a film that could pass the Bechdel Test, this would be it. Hidden FiguresThis top box office earner deserves every bit of its acclaim, and easily passes the Bechdel test. No, its not a T.V cooking show where Mary Berry judgesthe bestbechamel sauce for a lasagna, although that does sound like delicious competition Id wana be a judge on. Fail. As well as showing that they kicked ass at the lab at the same time. She is complicated and shes funnier than most (all?) Despite having two kickass female characters who are named, Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) and Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) a.k.a. It also crushed the Golden Globes in 2017. 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. While Im pretty sure their husbands/boyfriends back home, and the 4077s doctors did come up, it was mostly about Margaret. Were there any women on F-Troop aside from Wrangler Jane? At this point in time, the SGO team is fully remote, and we are located across the United States. And you know when else Insecure passes the Bechdel test? Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini form an unlikely friendship over, well, the death of Applegates late husband. 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. For example, the archive has almost 120 films passing for 2019 out of those couple hundred that were added. People tend to have strong feelings about the Lena Dunham-created comedy. Often, the two women must be named, prominent characters to meet the criteria. Although they spend a good portion of the film apart they still manage to have a many conversations about important things like their love for each other and saving their Kingdom from a perpetual winter. Why? Journal Media does not control and is not responsible On the list of TV shows I regularly watch, the only one I can . 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. This method probably fails to catch some cases where the topic of conversation was, broadly speaking, a male character, but a three-line sequence occurred without mentioning him by name or pronoun; but it seems too harsh to throw away the whole scene if a male is mentioned anywhere in the scene, since often scenes can involve multiple conversations between different groups of characters. Another rule, that is sometimes included, is . This test, put forth by cartoonist Alison Bechdel in a comic strip from 1985, posits . 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Henson, Octavia Spencer, and Janelle Monae) rarely talk about a man, focusing instead on their goals, their work, and the obstacles that they overcome every step of the way. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. This is straightforward, as the transcripts contain scene indicators, usually. She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, the critically-acclaimed reboot of the beloved 80s animated series, is a shining example of how to pass the Bechdel test. The Bechdel Test, if you're not familiar with it, is a benchmark for movies developed by Alison Bechdel in 1985. Books? EEEP! The Bechdel test is named after Alison Bechdel who introduced the concept as part of her Dykes to Watch Out For comic series in 1985, but she attributes it to her friend Liz Wallace, who attributed it to Virginia Woolf. Big Littles Lies also brings drastically different women together who have one thing in common: Their kids are in the same class. Imagine how tedious it would be if half of all of the films you watched never had any men who were important enough to be named in them? Yes, Good Girls is about three women who find themselves caught in an organized crime ringyet its not that dark (except for a few scenes). 3) About something other than a man. (Episode III does still fail, though. Never saw it, but Im to understand its woman centric. Married With Children went in the other direction. There were a few named female characters, but they were all minor enough that its plausible that they never talked to each other. The dramedy follows Issa, her best friend Molly, and their other girlfriends as they navigate life in Los Angeles. Doesn't Lara need any friends? One of the biggest movies of the 21st century features no dialogue between two named female characters. Should it be dismissed entirely? In a film about violence and mafiosos, Karen ( Lorraine Bracco) and Rosie ( Illeana Douglas) manage to squeeze in a Bechdel Test pass with a conversation about Florida. Over the years, there has been an increasing number of movies that pass the Bechdel test. The actresses, who play characters of the same first names, started the show as a web series that was later picked up by Comedy Central. Get the best gaming deals, reviews, product advice, competitions, unmissable gaming news and more! The three women talk about their work launching Project Mercury into space (ranging from aerospace engineering, to analytical geometry, to calculating trajectories, to phenomenally advanced maths), as well as about the professional obstacles in their way due to the prejudiced attitudes of their male, white co-workers. Its a must watch! Other than that every conversation I remember was about Hank or Walter. Shes also right pretty much all of the time and her male captains need to listen to her more often. This is a function of the number of main characters of each gender available to take part in storylines: in the extreme case of Will and Grace, if the characters were split into two pairs, the only combination that allows same-gender conversations is Will-Jack and Grace-Karen, whereas as the other two possible pairings involve different-gender conversations. And by god, is she an unforgettable one. She works closely with Abbey Whalen (Darby Stanchfield), and has numerous confrontations with First Lady (Bellamy Young). Anyone else feel like going for a little drive? The Bechdel test is too incomplete to be effective. If youve never seen Workin Moms, stop what youre doing right now, open Netflix, and cue up an episode ASAP. Pixar's record in general is pretty poor. The Bechdel test is a simple test to evaluate films (and other media) for portrayals of women. 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! "Glitch" is a drama that has earned its rightful place in any discussion about feminist science-fiction. Disney Movies That Don't Pass the Bechdel Test Pinnochio Dumbo Bambi Lady and the Tramp The Sword in the Stone The Jungle Book The Fox and the Hound The Great Mouse Detective Oliver & Company Aladdin The Lion King A Goofy Movie The Hunchback of Notre Dame 5. The women definitely rule the show and its no surprise that women are also behind the scenes as well here. To pass the Bechdel Test, two female characters who have names must have a conversation with each other about something other than a man. 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. Honestly, if you dont know this, then I hope that 35-year coma was really peaceful andlovely. City Lights (1931) G | 87 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance 8.5 Rate 99 Metascore The Bechdel Test is a simple test which names the following three criteria: (1) it has to have at least two women in it, who (2) who talk to each other, about (3) something besides a man. Miramax Films. She joined GamesRadar+ in 2017, revitalizing the news coverage and building new processes and strategies for the US team. The best movies that pass the Bechdel Test are female-positive and great watches in their own right. Next up, consideration of film beyond this basic test. The movie: This dystopian movie paints a bleak picture of a future where humanity has lost the ability to reproduce. 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. TV shows tend to run far longer than movies and thus, most of them end up passing the Bechdel Test. Another Best Picture Oscar winner that despite being groundbreaking in its representation of a gay black man, fails to have two women with names having one single teeny-tiny conversation about anything. Movies that fail the Bechdel test tend to have higher IMDB ratings. Sam Loveridge. TL;DR: Some episodes do, some d. 91 Metascore. As with previous Ghostbusters movies, the busters are tracking down some ghosts who are wreaking havoc in New York. This show will be missed. How it passes: This ones obvious. TV shows tend to run far longer than movies and thus, most of them end up passing the Bechdel Test. Heres how the test works a piece of fiction has to satisfy three requirements: Thats it. In 10 hours, not one interaction? It doesnt matter what age you are or if you have kids or not, because its that good. The Bechdel is a good test to show general representation of women in film/tv, and should not be used to critique the value or lack thereof, of any specific film/tv. 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 6 May 2022 The best movies. Amongst civil unrest and economic collapse, Theo unwittingly becomes responsible for a young pregnant refugee, Kee, who he must protect against all odds. We think its time to go beyond it. Most are finallypassing the Bechdel test, aka a test that analyzes a scene where two or more women talk about anything else other than men. Its not always pretty, but its a true representation of female relationships. Lauren OCallaghan. This may feel a bit more like a soap opera than a drama, but it absolutely passes the test! Marvel Studios This Canadian-made comedy about friends navigating motherhood will have you laughing out loud. Killing EveVillanelle and Eve are the two stars of this thriller series and have a relationship like weve never seen before. The meaning of BECHDEL TEST is a set of criteria used as a test to evaluate a work of fiction (such as a film) on the basis of its inclusion and representation of female characters. Heres how the test works a piece of fiction has to satisfy three requirements: Thats it. Friends performs the best on the BT, and passes the full test in almost every episode. 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. The Bechdel test has three stipulations: two named women characters need to have a conversation about something other than a man. Id think similar reasoning would apply to the Sopranos, the Wire, The Shield, etc. In fact, no two female characters actually even speak to each other. The only problem is that the conversation is about Jake, who, you probably noticed, is a man. How is that hard to write? Alison Bechdel Has Amended the Bechdel Test Just for Fire Island The cartoonist chimed in on the fiery Twitter debate spurred by one user's claim that the gay rom-com Fire Island did not. Currently, only the titles of the movies are searchable. Theyre flawed, complicated, and sometimes make horrible decisions. So, love them or hate them, you can probably relate to at least one of them. This test attempts to acknowledge the disparity between female and male characters in media. and TV shows. supports the work of the Press Council of Ireland and the Office of the Press Beyond the central relationship between those two women, any time theres a moment between women features the show at its best. While theres been some improvement, much work is left to do. Wikipedia says that Ms. Bechdel prefers the name "Bechdel-Wallace test". Please note that uses cookies to improve your experience and to provide The Bechdel Test asks three key questions about a movie's female characters. On June 30th, 2008, Jennifer Kesler . Most are finally passing the Bechdel test, aka a test that analyzes a scene where two or more women talk about anything else other than men. The film follows three different possible outcomes for her actions and explores her relationships and interactions with the people and the world aroundher. For the most part, the shows that pass the Bechdel Test are shows about women who are devoted to their careers, Leslie Knope, Olivia Pope, Alicia Florrick. Dobby and Sophie have several conversations with each other for example and theres multiple other examples. Enter search term: Or, you can show the list for one or more years: 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. The movie also includes Jess sister Pinky and a whole host of other named women on the football team, and besides that, the basic message of the movie is that women can do anything even become professional footballers. ** Okay the first pilot actually has two women speak to each other. Sex and drugs are a large part of the show, but so are friendships, as Rue, Jules, Lexi, Kat, Cassie, and Maddy dominate the series. To join our community, just fill out the form below. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. A Medium publication sharing concepts, ideas and codes. The View from the Window by Carina Paredes-Rivera. Gomer Pyle, Sgt. It is important to note that many fans refer to the queen as Queen Grimhilde, so she may in fact have a name. A lot of episodes do pass, but not as many as youd think, and only barely. 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. 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. Women comprised 17% of directors working on the 250 top grossing films in 2021, down from 18% in 2020. Younger is a marathon-worthy series about a fortysomething who pretends to be in her twenties in order to break back into publishing. 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. note Additionally. 4. 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. And its been surprisingly challenging for movies and TV shows to pass this basic test, even in our current golden age of media consumption. The best movies that pass the Bechdel Test are the ones that really, truly, pass with all the flying colors. 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.
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