But the show is very, very real. 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. Theres a 99% chance youve seen at least one episode of Broad City. The Marvelous Mrs. MaiselYou must have been living under a rock if you havent heard of this one. The movie, which tells the story of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, features a few female characters, but they never talk to each other. Why Are Films Failing The Bechdel Test When TV Has Progressed? The movie: Following the careers of the human computers Katherine Goble, Mary Jackson, and Dorothy Vaughn, Hidden Figures explores the rampant racism (and sexism) the three figureheads endured during their time working at NASA during the space race. 2. Who talk to each other. 20th Century Fox. 10 Movies From 2021 That Pass The Bechdel Test - ScreenRant It also crushed the Golden Globes in 2017. The Bechdel test is a simple test to evaluate films (and other media) for portrayals of women. 10 Best 2019 Movies That Passed The Bechdel Test, Ranked Considering the fact that the entire population of New Zealand is in these movies, it kinda seems statistically impossible. 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. However, since her name is never mentioned in the film, it fails the test. Im trying to remember any women on McHales Navy. Then it might be kinda shocking to find out that out of 2,500 movies, only about half pass the test. 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. But there's no back-and-forth dialogue that actually amounts to a conversation. . The Bechdel test is one of the most common ways that a movie or TV show's female representation can be judged. The Bechdel test, Also known as the Bechdel-Wallace test, is a test used for works of fiction (usually movies), named after the American cartoonist Alison Bechdel. 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. 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. Failing the test doesnt mean the movies evil or anti-woman, or that passing makes it some sort of strongly feminist movie. We all play a part in creating a more equitable and just workplace and world. Do those bacta tanks grow babies,too? Content copyright Journal Media Ltd. 2023 Registered in Dublin, registration number: To join our community, just fill out the form below. Employment is overrated. The Bechdel test was designed by cartoonist Alison Bechdel in 1985. * I cant remember Uhura ever talking to Rand or Nurse Chapel.**. Congratulations to Fast & Furious 7: Furious 7 for becoming the fifth movie in Big Stupid Movie Month to pass the Bechdel test. 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. Since an episode passing the test is usually achieved by one pair of speakers only, the results are sensitive to plot arcs in each season that affect who is present in the scenes and who the female regulars spend more time with, as indicated in the figure for the more recognisable cases. In non-pandemic years, an average 600 or 700 films have been added to the archive annually since 2006. To pass the test, a film needs to meet 3very simple criteria. 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. 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. Amongst civil unrest and economic collapse, Theo unwittingly becomes responsible for a young pregnant refugee, Kee, who he must protect against all odds. The twentysomething BFFs navigate life in New York City while getting into the most bizarre yet weirdly relatable situations. pic.twitter.com/rW4NDxMObf Seamus Ryan (@meanderingtripe) March 1, 2021 Nine Recent TV Shows and Movies That Pass the Bechdel Test In three films, none of them says a word to each other. Rise Together is key to creating greater opportunity by providing you with the support, knowledge, and community to break through barriers. 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. 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. Happily there have been some absolutely stellar standouts as of late which not only pass the Bechdel test, but also move beyond this low bar into portraying powerful and moving performances with real substance and impactful storytelling. Its just to get people thinking about gender and how its presented in film. Alison Bechdel Has Amended the Bechdel Test Just for At the time, hardly any films could pass it, and many forms of media still struggle to pass it today. The best movies that pass the Bechdel Test are the ones that really, truly, pass with all the flying colors. Whats not to love? I assume Yeoman Rand and Sulu dont count. Theres maybe 3.5 major female characters (Skyler, Marie, Lydia who came in late, arguably Andrea) and they rarely talk to each other. Sounds simple, right? Neither speak to each other or ever meet. Having acquired hundreds of sitcom episode transcripts, I can apply the test programmatically to each episode of these sitcoms, to compare the shows and track changes over the course of their runs. Swedish cinemas take aim at gender bias with Bechdel test rating Movies need to pass test that gauges the active presence of women on screen in bid to promote gender equality Jennifer. #ForeverAlone. What Insecure does better than most shows is showcasing real vulnerability and raw honesty, and therein lies its beauty. The WitcherAnd our second fantasy series is The Witcher, which, despite a lot of male energy (wayy more um, cleavage, in this one), does indeed pass the Bechdel test a few times Yennefer and Tissaias complicated relationship, as well as Ciri and Eithns short time together, and honestly probably more but were still working our way through this story (hey, we still have pandemic time to watch!). Cartoonist and graphic novelistAlison Bechdel came up with a test when she was younger that a movie had to have: For her to see the movie, it had to pass these three standards, and this test was first featured in her 1985 column Dykes to Watch Out For.. This show will be missed. 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. No females speak to each other in thatone.). Pixar's record in general is pretty poor. The best part about Girls is that the characters arent that likable. How it passes: Brilliantly, theres not a romantic relationship in sight in Ghostbusters. The model also addressed men profiting off her body. I have compiled my ten movies and tv shows that have crushed the Bechdel test. TV shows tend to run far longer than movies and thus, most of them end up passing the Bechdel Test. 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. 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). (Though it should be called the Bechdel-Wallace test, according to the lesbian cartoonist Alison Bechdel, who helped create it.) Creators, writers, and stars Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle portray versions of themselves in the year 2000. A Medium publication sharing concepts, ideas and codes. Testing the Bechdel Test - Portland State University I think it's a show that has great female characters. 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. Henry V. Surprisingly enough, this classic Shakespearean History passes the Bechdel Test. Cue epic action sequences, horrendously troublesome gameplay tactics, and even a little bit of romance. According to the . (will pass the test, but female characters are still underrepresented) Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, The Social Network stars Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin . Ten Recent TV Shows That Pass the Bechdel Test - She+ Geeks Out 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". The test asks whether a film features at least two women talking to each other about something other than a man. There is no clear correlation between the budget or revenue of a movie and its Bechdel score. Well, if you're looking for a female fish in the sea you'd be hard pressed to find one in Nemo's world. As a reminder, 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. The only problem is that the conversation is about Jake, who, you probably noticed, is a man. Others such as Bridgerton, The Nevers, and Yellowjackets make the list, too. Seriously? advertising. Hm, Red Dwarf probably cuts it, too, with only one main character even arguably female, and very few appearances by any character not in the main cast. Don't get too bogged down in the requirements of the Bechdel Test test though because even if you're not sure what it means, every film on this list is a great movie in its own right, so you won't be disappointed. 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. Its much more about familial love and, you know, surviving. They might as well be talking to themselves (or, more likely, the audience). Scoring sitcoms on the Bechdel test | by David Mulholland | Towards If you need a reminder of how strong women are, then turn on Glow. So real. The single episode with the most Nurse/Nurse interaction, they were basically spending the episode bitching about Maj. Hoolihan. Bechdel Test | Know Your Meme One of the biggest movies of the 21st century features no dialogue between two named female characters. To pass the Bechdel Test, two female characters who have names must have a conversation with each other about something other than a man. Were ready for Season 6! An extra big kick in the nuts to Star Wars fans: The prequel trilogy actually passes the test (partially). Despite having two kickass female characters who are named, Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) and Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) a.k.a. How it passes: Both the main characters are named women, who talk to each other a lot about football, their families, and yes, occasionally boys. Its a good thing that she has good friends to help her do it. Im not completely certain, but possibly the original Star Trek? Anything, even if its something stereotypically feminine, like shopping or shoes. 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. The Morning ShowOof this last season was a toughie (hello, news media + New York + #MeToo + Covid = messy! To search the database, enter a search term below. Bechdel Test - Film Theory The Duchess of York casts "no judgment" toward her nephew. GLOWThis Netflix series on its second season features a fictionalized account of how GLOW (Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling) came to be a cultural phenomenon in the 1980s. How to use Bechdel Test in a sentence. 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.