Slumdog Millionaire? Fail. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button? Fail. Juno passes. Terminator Salvation fails. Coraline ? Pass. The Dark Knight ? Epic fail. Watchmen fails (although the original graphic novel doesn’t). Star Trek passes, but only just.
In fact, very few films pass the Bechdel test. Which is depressing, because the standards of the test are not very high. The Bechdel Test comes from a 1985 comic strip called The Rule by the brilliant cartoonist and writer Alison Bechdel. In it, a woman declares that she will “only go to a movie if it satisfies three basic requirements”. It has to have at least two women in it who “talk to each other about … something besides a man”. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? How hard can it be for film-makers to ensure that two female characters interact independently of men, just for one little scene?
Unfortunately, the answer seems to be “very difficult indeed”. And what’s even more depressing is that most people don’t notice. Women sticking to the sidelines is taken for granted; we’re so used to predominantly male casts that anything else is seen as somehow “girly”. A male-centric story is seen as universal, but women’s lives are somehow niche. If a mainstream film does have a female lead who is more than a love interest (such as The International or Angels and Demons ) she’s paired with a male co-star. And most of the female-focused films that do get made concentrate on a stereotypical idea of what us ladies truly love (Abba songs, weddings and walk-in wardrobes, apparently).
Sisters on screen - The Irish Times - Fri, Jun 26, 2009 (via fuckyeahmisogyny)
i love the bechdel test! ever since i first read that comic i have NOT been able to watch movies without noticing.
(via loveandzombies)
(via jmme)
I subscribe to this; however, Mamma Mia passes the Bechdel Test.
