How it passes: Brilliantly, theres not a romantic relationship in sight in Ghostbusters. In fact, no two female characters actually even speak to each other. Remember the test was originally invented to help lesbians find movies theyd like. 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. Whats not to love? A lot of Hollywood films fail this test miserably and portray women in a sexist and unfair way. Seriously? She joined GamesRadar+ in 2017, revitalizing the news coverage and building new processes and strategies for the US team. Theyre the kind of friends you can share all your embarrassing moments with because theyve seen (and done) it all. Despite having two kickass female characters who are named, Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) and Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) a.k.a. unless otherwise stated. The next plot explores further how male and female characters interacted in each shows episodes. But even then, she doesnt really speak. Theyre flawed, complicated, and sometimes make horrible decisions. Did it miss the mark on some topics? Youll fall in love with these badass Black women who justget it. Padme speaks to Shmi Skywalker in Episode I and to her handmaidens at various points in Episode II, and in both cases, they discuss things other than men. We think its time to go beyond it. 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. 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. We all play a part in creating a more equitable and just workplace and world. Neither speak to each other or ever meet. Bath But if females are in the story, theres no reason cant they be involved in at least one conversation with each other. By continuing to browse, you agree to the use of cookies. 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. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: PartII. Your home for data science. Now, thats not to say that theyre all friends or even that their relationships are all healthy. Does she have an interesting relationship with McAvoy? Married With Children (Peggy-Marcy and Peggy-Kelly) and Scrubs (mostly Elliot-Carla) fall down between steps 2 and 3, meaning they often had female characters talk to one another, but in many cases this was only about a male character. Other than that every conversation I remember was about Hank or Walter. Beyond the central relationship between those two women, any time theres a moment between women features the show at its best. More. Theyre primarily white and primarily male and it makes sense that those who control the stories, will ensure they reflect their own world views. 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. That said, I wouldnt be terribly surprised if MASH** didnt pass even that loose version of the test. Married With Children went in the other direction. 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. Some of the most popular films of all time fail The Bechdel Test, and often for reasons you may have never considered. No females speak to each other in thatone.). 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. Im trying to remember any women on McHales Navy. The dramedy follows Issa, her best friend Molly, and their other girlfriends as they navigate life in Los Angeles. 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. Rate. They might as well be talking to themselves (or, more likely, the audience). Seriously, in the entire 10-hour trilogy, no two female characters ever actually speak to each other. Take Game of Thrones for example. This test is otherwise known as the Bechdel/Wallace test or the Bechdel Rule or Mo Movie Measure and is marked as a measure of gender depiction in the films. The singer reveals how grueling life was on the road. (Episodes with scene breaks not properly detected are excluded from the step 1 calculation; this applies to all The Office episodes, so no step 1 point is drawn.). As well as showing that they kicked ass at the lab at the same time. 1. Creators, writers, and stars Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle portray versions of themselves in the year 2000. Now its up to Elsa to find her and help her get control of her powers so she can unfreeze their home. The Bechdel Test is a test for whether a movie contains: Two named female characters, who talk to each other, about something besides a man. 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. Enter the Bechdel Test, which was created in 1985 by cartoonist Alison Bechdel in a now-famous comic strip.Essentially, the Bechdel Test is a metric which determines whether a movie or TV series pays ample attention to its women characters. Washington Post, many films and TV shows fail the Bechdel Test (Rosenberg, 2015). There must be two female characters in the scene. In fact, theyre kinda just flat characters who the male characters ignore or bang in bathrooms when its dramatically appropriate. The Bechdel test was designed by cartoonist Alison Bechdel in 1985. England and Wales company registration number 2008885. Kee talks to revolutionary leader Julian and her midwife Miriam at many points throughout the movie, and its almost never about a man. To pass the test, a film needs to meet 3very simple criteria. It covers domestic violence, marriage hardships, and the misconception of perfection. 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. Paramount Pictures. (Though it should be called the Bechdel-Wallace test, according to the lesbian cartoonist Alison Bechdel, who helped create it.) Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini form an unlikely friendship over, well, the death of Applegates late husband. 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 . Thank goodness theres one more season to go. services and The information needed to compute the BT for every scene and episode can be obtained from these transcripts with only a little further work. Do those bacta tanks grow babies,too? But it easily passed the Bechdel test, focusing on their badass careers saving an entire CITY and their friendships. One of the biggest movies of the 21st century features no dialogue between two named female characters. If you were ever looking for a film that could pass the Bechdel Test, this would be it. Dead To MeJen and Judy are complicated. 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. The show takes place in the beautiful town of Monterey, California, and follows three moms: Madeline, Celeste, and Jane. Its a must watch! Were trying to be conscious of not just meeting this bar. For example, the archive has almost 120 films passing for 2019 out of those couple hundred that were added. What Insecure does better than most shows is showcasing real vulnerability and raw honesty, and therein lies its beauty. Scandal: Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington) spends her time cleaning up the scandals that could wrack Washington D.C. and its political elite. The women definitely rule the show and its no surprise that women are also behind the scenes as well here. Despite all the bitchy girl-on-girl crime that goes on though, at its heart this film is about female friendships and how complicated they can be. 483623. Entertainment News. 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. Mary Berry Cooks / Headline Publishing Group / Headline Publishing Group. Note: Your privacy is important to us, so please know that your information will always remain confidential! 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. Movies with female directors have higher Bechdel scores. 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. To pass this step I looked for a three-line sequence. These movies also happen to be very female-positive overall too. 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. for the content of external websites. They discuss many different topics through the film, including the trajectory of their lives after graduating high school, but rarely men. Heres how the test works a piece of fiction has to satisfy three requirements: Thats it. Were ready for Season 6! Rebecca Nicholson. Having a lot of lines between different gender characters makes it harder to pass the BT; from this perspective, it is better to concentrate the male characters in one storyline/scene, and the female characters in another. I remember Skyler and Marie in early seasons arguing about Maries shop lifting. 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. Theres glitter, spandex, and a lot of fighting. Kate McKinnon was everything. But it goes much further than this, with Katniss having a variety of conversations with other women, ranging from her mother and Rue, to the delightfully colourful Effie Trinket, and only once does a romance get mentioned in one conversation between Katniss and Rue. Miramax Films Some Western animated shows would fail a reverse. Please know that these are only a portion of the new television series passing the test. REVIEWS. Others such as Bridgerton, The Nevers, and Yellowjackets make the list, too. The world has changed since the Bechdel-Wallace Test was created Hulu When The Bechdel-Wallace Test first appeared in 1985, the world was an entirely different place. 1. Seriously, George, why is the whole galaxy a sausage fest? The movie's total kill count of . I dont think its really within the spirit of the test to count a brief conversation in a single episode of a TV series that ran for years as a pass. Currently, only the titles of the movies are searchable. At a time when toxic masculinity is still very much alive and well, this entire show is a breath of fresh air. The Bechdel (pronounced beck-dell) Test was first created in 1985 by cartoonist Allison Bechdel. This evil stepmother figure in Disneys 1998 remake is finally receiving the appreciation she always deserved. In a world where superhero movies reign supreme, it's hard to imagine any of them not passing the Bechdel Test. 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. There are a couple guys on the prison staff, but they tend to talk about the prisoners or their boss Fig, who is a woman. 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. The best movies that pass the Bechdel Test are the ones that really, truly, pass with all the flying colors. I think it's a show that has great female characters. The Morning ShowOof this last season was a toughie (hello, news media + New York + #MeToo + Covid = messy! According to the . Dobby and Sophie have several conversations with each other for example and theres multiple other examples. Were there any women on F-Troop aside from Wrangler Jane? Have you ever had someone comfort you after a break up by saying "There's plenty more fish in the sea?". Sam Loveridge. It has a lot of well written three dimensional women, but theyre spread far apart from each other. If so, then the very first episode aired passes. Yes, but her relationship with French agent Lasalle is significantly more interesting. The test asks whether a film features at least two women talking to each other about something other than a man. Toy Story 1 & 2. The test is named after and . Girls TripGirls Trip is everything. Euphoria doesnt shy away from topics that would never have been included in a teen show ten years ago. After a chat of what The Hunger Games actually means, Katniss comforts her sister Primrose, whos had a bad dream. Miramax Films. Congratulations to Fast & Furious 7: Furious 7 for becoming the fifth movie in Big Stupid Movie Month to pass the Bechdel test. 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. The Bechdel test has three stipulations: two named women characters need to have a conversation about something other than a man. 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. To pass, the work simply has . Sam Loveridge. The comic strip that popularized the test was titled "The Rule," and it says that to pass the test the movie must have three things. Her best friend and coworkers are there for her, even at her lowest. EEEP! 6) Encanto. But the Internet commenters can still find things to get upset about - go ahead, get angry! Plus, the entire film is about a young woman and her pregnancy (which could save the world), and the fact that the main character is a man is more incidental than anything else. 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. This show might possibly be the highlight of 2017. And here are ten that dont pass the test. GamesRadar+ is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Some deviations from reality were for humor; some were for drama. 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. Even shows that are deemed feminist sometimes dont pass the testand, frankly, its frustrating. 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. 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. The Marvelous Mrs. MaiselYou must have been living under a rock if you havent heard of this one. Here are ten television shows today that pass the Bechdel Test. 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. Its 2019, high time to get all underrepresented groups in significant numbers behind and in front of the camera! About something besides a man. Pixar. 20th Century Fox The show is set in the world of 80s womens wrestling and follows an out-of-work actress who decides to achieve fame by wrestling. The film follows three different possible outcomes for her actions and explores her relationships and interactions with the people and the world aroundher. 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. A hobbit gets caught up in a huge war when he has to take a magic ring right to the bad guys front door. Although there is some discussion about the beauty of Chris Hemsworths character at some points - and how ditzy he is. Pixar's record in general is pretty poor. When Issa speaks to herself in the mirror. The test has gained traction in recent years, but there's still some big-name films that don't meet the criteria. To pass the Bechdel Test, two female characters who have names must have a conversation with each other about something other than a man. Wire service provided by AFP and Press Association. Her struggle with alcohol comes to a head and it was powerful to see how her friends supported her without enabling her. pic.twitter.com/rW4NDxMObf Seamus Ryan (@meanderingtripe) March 1, 2021 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. Lauren OCallaghan. policy. You can see most of the code used for this and the previous post here. Fantasies are notoriously male-dominated (Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings, we see you!). 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. Cinderella. 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. Movies that fail the Bechdel test tend to have higher IMDB ratings. Issa Rae embodies all of these qualities in her character, Issa. Killing EveVillanelle and Eve are the two stars of this thriller series and have a relationship like weve never seen before. "Glitch" is a drama that has earned its rightful place in any discussion about feminist science-fiction. Harry and his friends (several of whom are female) begin making their final moves to take down Lord Voldemort. and TV shows. Nope. Its about a group of young gay men in San Francisco and the only named female character is Doris. Women are not always these well-dressed, confident, and successful creatures; sometimes were just uncomfortable in our own skin. Doesn't Lara need any friends? The best movies that pass the Bechdel Test are female-positive and great watches in their own right. 5. Seems simple enough, right? We've managed to find 25 of the best movies that pass the Bechdel Test. Lola must figure out how to come up with 100,000 Deutsche Marks in twenty minutes or her boyfriend will be killed. InsecureThe real love between Issa and Molly gives us all the feels like all of them. Literally, it can be about anything but a man! The readers of Dykes to Watch Out For (where the test originated) probably love this show. Of course, people watch movies for the simple pleasure that the story brings. 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. 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. Mary Berry Cooks / Headline Publishing Group 20th Century Fox. Holdo a total, er, force (RIP). None of the female characters in the film actually have a conversation. All Posts; The Rundown; Entertainment News . ), and there werent as many scenes that passed the Bechdel test in this season as there were in its first, but its absolutely still worth mentioning. 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. TV Show Recaps; TV Reviews; TV Lists; TV News & Trailers; TV Features; The L Word; The L Word: Generation Q; . Theres maybe 3.5 major female characters (Skyler, Marie, Lydia who came in late, arguably Andrea) and they rarely talk to each other. A lot of episodes do pass, but not as many as youd think, and only barely. 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. Younger is a marathon-worthy series about a fortysomething who pretends to be in her twenties in order to break back into publishing. The series based on Robert Jordans epic series begins with the premise of a world ruled by women who have to deal with a lot of very bad men. 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. 3) About something other than a man. Well, surprisingly hard to manage it seems, with up to 50% of films failing the test. But not dwelling on that, the show quite obviously passes the Bechdel Test, with a strong . Over the years, there has been an increasing number of movies that pass the Bechdel test. The label of his particular examination is taken after a caricature artist, Alison Bechdel. She is complicated and shes funnier than most (all?) 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. But times are changing and there are a handful of incredible examples of ladies crushing mainstream media. Enter search term: Or, you can show the list for one or more years: Star Trek: DiscoveryThe latest addition to the Star Trek universe is soooo goooooood. Yes, please. 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. 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. Big Little Lies was produced by Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman, two women who were sick of seeing women portrayed in a one-dimensional way. 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. 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. The Bechdel Test is a way of evaluating the representation of women in film. advertising. YAS! 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. As explained above, this can happen when the storylines pair characters of different gender together. 1. When you finish the breakdown, you will have a full measure of the quality of the female presence. So real. First, the film must have at least two female characters. Summit Entertainment. There are also a handful of episodes that do not pass either test (grey). 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. Proving that women . 2020, however, has already been a promising year for Bechdel Test-passing hits. 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. An extra big kick in the nuts to Star Wars fans: The prequel trilogy actually passes the test (partially). Its won all the awards, and for good reason. Rise Together is key to creating greater opportunity by providing you with the support, knowledge, and community to break through barriers. note Additionally. All the Charlize Theron. and RollingNews.ie unless otherwise stated. Considering the fact that the entire population of New Zealand is in these movies, it kinda seems statistically impossible. 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.