To pass, the work simply has . The TV shows that have captivated audiences in lockdown include Unorthodox, Normal People, Killing Eve and I May Destroy You. Did you see that fight scene where there was no music and she was just fighting and it was painful and awful and brilliant? 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. I remember Skyler and Marie in early seasons arguing about Maries shop lifting. 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. 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. After a chat of what The Hunger Games actually means, Katniss comforts her sister Primrose, whos had a bad dream. Lauren OCallaghan. 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 Bechdel Test asks three key questions about a movie's female characters. In fact it can be pretty spectacular, especially when youre hanging out with other women! (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.). Have we missed anything? More than that, all the women are fiercely strong and morally questionable, presenting a version of women not often seen in the cinema. 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 next plot explores further how male and female characters interacted in each shows episodes. However, its not the case that these shows were full of male-male conversations without female involvement: as seen by the fact that no show lies below 0.8 on the y-axis, these shows had as many, or almost as many, male-female conversations, as male-male conversations. CONTACT. Id think similar reasoning would apply to the Sopranos, the Wire, The Shield, etc. 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. This show might possibly be the highlight of 2017. Advertisement How to. Women are not always these well-dressed, confident, and successful creatures; sometimes were just uncomfortable in our own skin. The movies follow The Bride as she kills her way through the list of assassins who targeted her, working her way up to Bill - their boss and her former lover. To pass the Bechdel test, a work of fiction must fulfil the above criteria at least once. Was it perfect? 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 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). Are there any TV shows you can think of though that fail the Bechdel Test? I think it's a show that has great female characters. It could have been so easy to write just ONE more female into the story. While there are two female characters, Snow White and the Evil Queen, the latter is not given a name in the film. for the content of external websites. The best movies that pass the Bechdel Test are female-positive and great watches in their own right. 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. 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. Users are reminded that they are fully responsible for their own Here are ten television shows today that pass the Bechdel Test. services and Omit "The" from search term for best results. This Canadian-made comedy about friends navigating motherhood will have you laughing out loud. To search the database, enter a search term below. Thankfully, by Toy Story 3 Pixar had included a conversation between female . 101 Dalmatians (rated G): The original 1961 animated version squeaks . Its not always pretty, but its a true representation of female relationships. 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. American supervillain. All rights reserved. 20th Century Fox. However, since her name is never mentioned in the film, it fails the test. Neither speak to each other or ever meet. A film that excavates layers of myth and memory to find the elusive truth at the core of a family of storytellers. Here's 10 from the past 25 year that may surprise you. In 1985, American cartoonist Alison Bechdel. SuperJail, unless JailBot is female. About something other than a man. 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. 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. In 2020, the archive shows that 78 films passed the Bechdel Test out of 329 films released in the U.S. and Canada. Directed by Amy Poehler, Moxie is an overt rebellion against the toxic patriarchal systems that are rife in youth culture. 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. Then it might be kinda shocking to find out that out of 2,500 movies, only about half pass the test. For example, the archive has almost 120 films passing for 2019 out of those couple hundred that were added. Each step was calculated by scene and aggregated to episode level. When they do interact its usually to talk about their place in society with regards to the men and their plans. I havent sat down to do a critical analysis or anything, but I bet 95% of Breaking Bad episodes would fail the test. Toy Story 1 & 2. 2022 Galvanized Media. And, apparently, successfully robbing banks is one of the things they can accomplish together. 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. 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. ), 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. 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. Cue epic action sequences, horrendously troublesome gameplay tactics, and even a little bit of romance. Yes, please. It doesn't cover the case when the lead character is female. 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. Especially the last season, with its female villain. If youve never seen Workin Moms, stop what youre doing right now, open Netflix, and cue up an episode ASAP. Next on the list is the 2010 biographical drama movie The Social Network which also doesn't pass the Bechdel test. 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. Should it be dismissed entirely? #ForeverAlone. Scared her people will turn on her, she runs away and loses emotional control plunging the Kingdom into an eternal winter. Why? Oh and hey, Meryl Streep is going to be in Season 2. About something besides a man. 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. 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. Here are our favorites! This usually occurs when Elaine overlaps briefly with a minor female character in a scene. 3) About something other than a man. The test is named after and . 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. 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). Alright, now were heading into the darker category. One of the biggest movies of the 21st century features no dialogue between two named female characters. The readers of Dykes to Watch Out For (where the test originated) probably love this show. Journal Media does not control and is not responsible The women definitely rule the show and its no surprise that women are also behind the scenes as well here. Summit Entertainment. Wrong. 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. "Glitch". Entertainment News. Lauren OCallaghan. By continuing to browse, you agree to the use of cookies. The Duchess of York casts "no judgment" toward her nephew. Never saw it, but Im to understand its woman centric. This may feel a bit more like a soap opera than a drama, but it absolutely passes the test! This test, put forth by cartoonist Alison Bechdel in a comic strip from 1985, posits . All Rights Reserved. Often, the two women must be named, prominent characters to meet the criteria. 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. Her best friend and coworkers are there for her, even at her lowest. In fact, no two female characters actually even speak to each other. Congratulations to Fast & Furious 7: Furious 7 for becoming the fifth movie in Big Stupid Movie Month to pass the Bechdel test. Your home for data science. There's a third named female character, Agent Maria Hill (Colbie Smulders), but she only directs orders to her staff and there's no dialogue. She joined GamesRadar+ in 2017, revitalizing the news coverage and building new processes and strategies for the US team. Sounds simple, right? Were trying to be conscious of not just meeting this bar. Here are ten television shows today that pass the Bechdel Test. 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 even then, she doesnt really speak. If you need a reminder of how strong women are, then turn on Glow. The label of his particular examination is taken after a caricature artist, Alison Bechdel. Um, no. How it passes: This ones obvious. Theres glitter, spandex, and a lot of fighting. You will have a very real assessment of how much screen time this element has. The Office increased its pass rate during its run, as did Seinfeld and Frasier, with the exception of their final seasons. Because representation matters, and many of the people writing, directing, and producing are still majority men. 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. While Enid occupies herself with finding him a girlfriend, she and Becky grow further apart. men. Marvel Studios The Good FightWe were fans of The Good Wife, and when The Good Fight aired, we were excited to see some of our favorite characters back and connecting with each other in fascinating and exciting ways. created content and their own posts, comments and submissions and fully and effectively warrant Sutton, Kat, and Jane are rising HBICs (aka head bitches in charge) in their industries. 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. 91 Metascore. How it passes: Brilliantly, theres not a romantic relationship in sight in Ghostbusters. 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. To pass the test, a film needs to meet 3very simple criteria. TH3 RUNDOWN. The Bechdel Test is a metric used for measuring how women are represented in a given film. In order to pass, a film must feature at least two women on screen talking to each other about. This movie about the pressures and pleasures of family-life, will have you teary . Zoe Delahunty-Light. She is complicated and shes funnier than most (all?) Emma Stone chills, sings, dances and colour-coordinates her outfits with her three gal pals, buuuut the friends themselves are never named. 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. It originated in a comic strip by Bechdel in 1985. Alex and Bradley, newly brought together co-anchors for The Morning Show, have a complicated relationship. 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. They discuss many different topics through the film, including the trajectory of their lives after graduating high school, but rarely men. 3. RELATED: 10 Best 2019 Movies That Passed The Bechdel Test, Ranked After witnessing a series of inappropriate events at school - none of which are taken seriously by the staff - Vivian . Miramax Films. 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. The dramedy follows Issa, her best friend Molly, and their other girlfriends as they navigate life in Los Angeles. Of course, people watch movies for the simple pleasure that the story brings. Most any military-based show. Disney Plus. 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 film follows three different possible outcomes for her actions and explores her relationships and interactions with the people and the world aroundher. It also crushed the Golden Globes in 2017. 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. Zoe Delahunty-Light. 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. Did it miss the mark on some topics? Another rule, that is sometimes included, is . Lola must figure out how to come up with 100,000 Deutsche Marks in twenty minutes or her boyfriend will be killed. and indemnify Journal Media in relation to such content and their ability to make such content, Powered by Discourse, best viewed with JavaScript enabled. 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. YAS! BA1 1UA. Lauren OCallaghan. If you havent, then youre missing out on the creative genius that is Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson. The best part about Girls is that the characters arent that likable. So, what is the Bechdel Test? . Yes, but her relationship with French agent Lasalle is significantly more interesting. 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. The Bechdel test ( / bkdl / BEK-dl) [1] is a measure of the representation of women in film (and, by extension, in fiction in general). 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. (Wikimedia) Virginia. 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. Women comprised 17% of directors working on the 250 top grossing films in 2021, down from 18% in 2020. If youre behind on this one, too, then Im honestly kinda surprised you even know what movies are. 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. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). TV shows tend to run far longer than movies and thus, most of them end up passing the Bechdel Test. There arent enough shows that embrace female insecurities. Friends performs the best on the BT, and passes the full test in almost every episode. HBOs teen show Euphoria shocked viewers with its extremely adult storylines. InsecureThe real love between Issa and Molly gives us all the feels like all of them. 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. 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. supports the work of the Press Council of Ireland and the Office of the Press PH: (01) 6489130, Lo-Call 1890 208 080 or email: info@presscouncil.ie. 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 Bechdel test has three stipulations: two named women characters need to have a conversation about something other than a man. 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. 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. Have you ever had someone comfort you after a break up by saying "There's plenty more fish in the sea?". It could be about dog poo. The characters must talk about something other than a male character. note Additionally. The movie: This dystopian movie paints a bleak picture of a future where humanity has lost the ability to reproduce. 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. Its much more about familial love and, you know, surviving. 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! A hobbit gets caught up in a huge war when he has to take a magic ring right to the bad guys front door. The twentysomething BFFs navigate life in New York City while getting into the most bizarre yet weirdly relatable situations. 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. 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. 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. While Im pretty sure their husbands/boyfriends back home, and the 4077s doctors did come up, it was mostly about Margaret. 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. ** Okay the first pilot actually has two women speak to each other. People tend to have strong feelings about the Lena Dunham-created comedy. (Episode III does still fail, though. 1. 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. One difference between what we found in our broader sample of 1,794 films released between 1970 and 2013 and the analysis at BechdelTest.com of about 5,000 films is that BechdelTest.com shows 56. We think its time to go beyond it. The Bechdel Test, if you're not familiar with it, is a benchmark for movies developed by Alison Bechdel in 1985. Lauren OCallaghan. 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? Love and hate, fear and obsession, joy and anger, are all represented in their dance. Atomic BlondeYes, please give us more Charlize Theron! 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. unless otherwise stated. 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. Its a must watch! 4. Growing up, TV was mostly used as a way to entertain oneself. 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. Rise Together is key to creating greater opportunity by providing you with the support, knowledge, and community to break through barriers. Please know that these are only a portion of the new television series passing the test. The movie's total kill count of . Heres an excerpt on research conducted on film and gender in 2021: After reaching historic highs in 2020, the percentages of women directing top grossing films declined in 2021. 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. She works closely with Abbey Whalen (Darby Stanchfield), and has numerous confrontations with First Lady (Bellamy Young). For fun, how about shows that not only regularly pass the normal test but fail the reverse Bechdel Test? 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. Some Western animated shows would fail a reverse. Its 2019, high time to get all underrepresented groups in significant numbers behind and in front of the camera! According to . 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. Alison Brie's Ruth . We love this list and think many of them go farther than just passing the Bechdel test. England and Wales company registration number 2008885. A kid on a distant planet finds out about a magical force from an old man and he learns to be a Jedi and they fight against the Empire and yada yada. 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). Data scientist and former climate physicist, with special interest in politics and sports analytics, Having acquired hundreds of sitcom episode transcripts. The best movies that pass the Bechdel Test are the ones that really, truly, pass with all the flying colors. Im trying to remember any women on McHales Navy. On June 30th, 2008, Jennifer Kesler . Aw, Sorkin, you charmer,you. 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. Wire service provided by AFP and Press Association. Why? 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. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: PartII. Content copyright Journal Media Ltd. 2023 Registered in Dublin, registration number: Seriously? The Bechdel test is the most popular tool for assessing female representation in film. Over the years, there has been an increasing number of movies that pass the Bechdel test. We've managed to find 25 of the best movies that pass the Bechdel Test. Amongst civil unrest and economic collapse, Theo unwittingly becomes responsible for a young pregnant refugee, Kee, who he must protect against all odds. There are braces, acne, and lots of humiliating moments. Were there any women on F-Troop aside from Wrangler Jane? 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. Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Were ready for Season 6! 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. This is straightforward, as the transcripts contain scene indicators, usually. To pass, a movie must have two named women converse about something other than a man. Fox Searchlight Pictures At the time, hardly any films could pass it, and many forms of media still struggle to pass it today. (will pass the test, but female characters are still underrepresented) Honestly, if you dont know this, then I hope that 35-year coma was really peaceful andlovely. Ted LassoWhile it may be a mans name in the title, this might be one of our favorite TV shows that passes the Bechdel test with flying colors. 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. 6) Encanto. Votes: 13,610 | Gross: $1.60M. 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. Thankfully, by Toy Story 3 Pixar had included a conversation between female characters that involved something other than men. 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. Journal Media does not control and is not responsible for user created content, posts, comments, Most of the cast is female. Enter search term: Or, you can show the list for one or more years:
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