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 Bechdel Test is a simple test to see if a work of fiction passes the feminist [] Especially the last season, with its female villain. Starring the super brilliant Sonequa Martin-Green as First Officer Michael Burnam, she was raised by Vulcans, though is human, so shes a fascinating character to watch. pic.twitter.com/rW4NDxMObf Seamus Ryan (@meanderingtripe) March 1, 2021 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. Disney Plus. I havent sat down to do a critical analysis or anything, but I bet 95% of Breaking Bad episodes would fail the test. A lot of episodes do pass, but not as many as youd think, and only barely. New York? Even shows that are deemed feminist sometimes dont pass the testand, frankly, its frustrating. 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. ), 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. But if females are in the story, theres no reason cant they be involved in at least one conversation with each other. To pass the test, a film must have: 1) Two female characters (some variations of the test say that they must have names, which is fair I think) 2) Who talk to each other. Refine See titles to watch instantly, titles you haven't rated, etc 79 titles 1. The dramedy follows Issa, her best friend Molly, and their other girlfriends as they navigate life in Los Angeles. 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. 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. Were ready for Season 6! 91 Metascore. The label of his particular examination is taken after a caricature artist, Alison Bechdel. So viewers would expect it to pass the Bechdel test with flying colors - and it does. Sounds simple, right? 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. I remember Skyler and Marie in early seasons arguing about Maries shop lifting. 4. 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. Henry V. Surprisingly enough, this classic Shakespearean History passes the Bechdel Test. This usually occurs when Elaine overlaps briefly with a minor female character in a scene. Euphoria doesnt shy away from topics that would never have been included in a teen show ten years ago. Ghostbusters (The one with all the women)We loved the 2016 Ghostbusters. It's a quiz developed in 1985 by graphic novelist Alison Bechdel and her friend Liz Wallace that reveals just how sexist (or not) any given work of fiction might be. 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. US cartoonist Alison Bechdel came up with the test in a 1985 comic strip: to pass, a film must have two female characters who speak about something other than a man. Bath Paramount Pictures. By continuing to browse, you agree to the use of cookies. 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! The Bechdel test ( / bkdl / BEK-dl) [1] is a measure of the representation of women in film (and, by extension, in fiction in general). In fact, no two female characters actually even speak to each other. Beyond the central relationship between those two women, any time theres a moment between women features the show at its best. Theres maybe 3.5 major female characters (Skyler, Marie, Lydia who came in late, arguably Andrea) and they rarely talk to each other. Alex and Bradley, newly brought together co-anchors for The Morning Show, have a complicated relationship. Theres a 99% chance youve seen at least one episode of Broad City. The squads a little more preoccupied with ghost bustin than affairs of the heart, and casually saving the world from an evil menace. 2020, however, has already been a promising year for Bechdel Test-passing hits. Im trying to remember any women on McHales Navy. Hilary Duff? The measure sometimes is enhanced by adding that the two female characters be named in the film. The movie's total kill count of . 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. It's worth noting though that this is in a series that shows women's asses at every opportunity & had gold-painted dancing girls earlier. Failing the test doesnt mean the movies evil or anti-woman, or that passing makes it some sort of strongly feminist movie. note Additionally. Paramount Pictures Its a must watch! 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. And here are ten that dont pass the test. They discuss many different topics through the film, including the trajectory of their lives after graduating high school, but rarely men. * I cant remember Uhura ever talking to Rand or Nurse Chapel.**. Seriously, in the entire 10-hour trilogy, no two female characters ever actually speak to each other. Shes got a bit of a grudge. TV shows tend to run far longer than movies and thus, most of them end up passing the Bechdel Test. If you ever wondered what it would be like if thirtysomething women pretended to be middle school-aged girls, well, you dont need to wonder anymore! To join our community, just fill out the form below. This movie about the pressures and pleasures of family-life, will have you teary . In 10 hours, not one interaction? YAS! The movie: Best friends Enid and Becky spend the summer after high school trying to figure out what theyre doing with their lives and along the way they meet a lonely, middle-aged man named Seymour, who Enid strikes up a friendship with. Despite having two kickass female characters who are named, Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) and Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) a.k.a. Starring Jeon YeoBeen (as Hong JiHyo) and Afterschool's NaNa (as Huh BoRa), "Glitch" is a dazzling celebration of female friendships and WLW relationships, and the theme is brought out with the utmost grace and delicate nuance. 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. Rate. Plus, its not as though failing the Bechdel Test means a movie is automatically terrible or sexist. When they do interact its usually to talk about their place in society with regards to the men and their plans. 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. Yes, but her relationship with French agent Lasalle is significantly more interesting. Probably because, well, just have a look at this article to see who sits behind the camera. Proving that women . The Legend of Korra might regularly fail both because of the ensemble, but later seasons have a majority female cast. 1. The only problem is, theres another bridesmaid trying to muscle in on her territory. The movie: In this particular post-apocalyptic world, children are sent to battle to the death on TV. Wrong. People tend to have strong feelings about the Lena Dunham-created comedy. 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. Law & Order in the early seasons wouldnt have, with no starring female cast members. 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. 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. 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. Creators, writers, and stars Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle portray versions of themselves in the year 2000. 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. 6) Encanto. 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. During the comic relief French Lesson scene (Act 3, Scene 4) Alice teaches Katherine how to speak French and there is no mention of men whatsoever. Shes not like those other girls because shes basically one of the guys. 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. 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? About something other than a man. And by god, is she an unforgettable one. 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. 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. Rise Together is key to creating greater opportunity by providing you with the support, knowledge, and community to break through barriers. Its not always pretty, but its a true representation of female relationships. But the show is very, very real. 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. Lola must figure out how to come up with 100,000 Deutsche Marks in twenty minutes or her boyfriend will be killed. 2022 Galvanized Media. Sadness, joy, frustration, bittersweetness. Friends, Will and Grace, and Married With Children had more conversations between different gender characters than same gender. First, the film must have at least two female characters. GamesRadar+ is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. How it passes: The two leads, and indeed the majority of the cast, are women and the only time they really talk about men is when they briefly explain their crimes or discuss trying to get Geres Billy Flynn to represent them. CONTACT. Did it miss the mark on some topics? In 1985, American cartoonist Alison Bechdel. Thank goodness theres one more season to go. To pass, the work simply has . TH3 RUNDOWN. The data Im using are the same as introduced in this previous post: episodes transcripts for most episodes of seven major sitcoms from the last 30 years. The Bechdel Test is a metric used for measuring how women are represented in a given film. And its been surprisingly challenging for movies and TV shows to pass this basic test. There were a few named female characters, but they were all minor enough that its plausible that they never talked to each other. 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. Her character, Cassie, is a fun-loving flight attendant who gets into a huge problem. Whats not to love? ABOUT. 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. 6. Summit Entertainment 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). We've managed to find 25 of the best movies that pass the Bechdel Test. Fox Searchlight Pictures. Pixar's record in general is pretty poor. Let us know! Miramax Films 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. She is complicated and shes funnier than most (all?) Mary Berry Cooks / Headline Publishing Group We can look at the results for each show, broken down by test step. Mary Berry Cooks / Headline Publishing Group / Headline Publishing Group. 5. 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). There were several recurring nurse characters who had names, but when they talked to each other then IIRC it was usually about the male characters. Please know that these are only a portion of the new television series passing the test. Were trying to be conscious of not just meeting this bar. This is straightforward, as the transcripts contain scene indicators, usually. Emma Stone chills, sings, dances and colour-coordinates her outfits with her three gal pals, buuuut the friends themselves are never named. Most of the cast is female. 6 'The Social Network'. Others such as Bridgerton, The Nevers, and Yellowjackets make the list, too. Well, surprisingly hard to manage it seems, with up to 50% of films failing the test. Were there any women on F-Troop aside from Wrangler Jane? 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. Votes: 13,610 | Gross: $1.60M. They recently soft-launched their take on the Bechdel test, called the Riz test, which aims to cast a light on how Muslims are represented on film and TV shows. Heres how the test works a piece of fiction has to satisfy three requirements: Thats it. As the first woman to become pregnant in years, she carries an extremely precious cargo and faces danger on all sides. The movie: Annies best friend is getting married so naturally shes Maid of Honor. There is no clear correlation between the budget or revenue of a movie and its Bechdel score. Anything, even if its something stereotypically feminine, like shopping or shoes. So, love them or hate them, you can probably relate to at least one of them. Alison Brie's Ruth . Advertisement How to. 95 percent of the characters are female, and they communicate with each other constantly throughout the series about non-male-centric topics. We think its time to go beyond it. This test, put forth by cartoonist Alison Bechdel in a comic strip from 1985, posits . 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: Oh and hey, Meryl Streep is going to be in Season 2. In non-pandemic years, an average 600 or 700 films have been added to the archive annually since 2006. While reading a critical review of a popular show which noted that it didn't pass the Bechdel Test, it occurred to me, a long time fan of Hannibal 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. For fun, how about shows that not only regularly pass the normal test but fail the reverse Bechdel Test? The titular named Lara is the only named female in this movie. Broad City created by Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson super modern and funny. How it passes: Brilliantly, theres not a romantic relationship in sight in Ghostbusters. 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. (Lets ignore the fact that the alien was a walking penis-monster, as this was before the Xenomorphs had established sexes the Queens werent introduced until 1986sAliens.). To pass the test, a film needs to meet 3very simple criteria. The next plot explores further how male and female characters interacted in each shows episodes. There had never been a movie with 100% Black ownership to make over $100 million, so that this also passed the Bechdel test is massive. The readers of Dykes to Watch Out For (where the test originated) probably love this show. 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. 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. Miramax Films. How is that hard to write? But seriously, I cant remember two female characters even talking to each other. How about Girls? 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. The test is named after and . 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. Marvel Studios. 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. 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. The movie, which tells the story of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, features a few female characters, but they never talk to each other. Why? The Social Network stars Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin . Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini form an unlikely friendship over, well, the death of Applegates late husband. The only problem is that the conversation is about Jake, who, you probably noticed, is a man. It also crushed the Golden Globes in 2017. Example: A woman has only one minor female friend, all other characters are male. If you were ever looking for a film that could pass the Bechdel Test, this would be it. All rights reserved. Wire service provided by AFP and Press Association. Women make up more than half of the population, but it seems that theres still a problem with representation in films and on television. While Im pretty sure their husbands/boyfriends back home, and the 4077s doctors did come up, it was mostly about Margaret. 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. HBOs teen show Euphoria shocked viewers with its extremely adult storylines. Theres glitter, spandex, and a lot of fighting. To pass the Bechdel test, a movie must follow three rules that are supposed to show if the story has a good representation of women. Seinfeld, Frasier, and The Office have more male than female main characters, so inevitably there are many more male-male than female-female conversations. Amongst civil unrest and economic collapse, Theo unwittingly becomes responsible for a young pregnant refugee, Kee, who he must protect against all odds.