Bechdel Test Thread

[TrilllianAstra]

I thought having a thread for "I just watched this and it passed/failed and I thought..." would be good to encourage me to think of the Bechdel test when watching TV/films or reading books. I wonbe watching/reading anything on purpose for the thread, just thought I would apply it to whatever I happened to be watching or reading.

The test doesn't necessarily say that a film is feminist/antifeminist, but it is interesting.

Rules reminder:
Are there at least two women (some versions say "two women with names")
Who have a conversation
About something other than a man?

Feel free to join in :)

Apologies, blonderthanred. It's sometimes hard to tell on this board!

Bumping this again.

Watched Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind last night. Complete and utter fail.

Bones (TV) passes every week then. Yeah.

Bliney I think pirates if the Caribbean passed - Elizabeth and the female pirate talking about the best way to sail the ship to escape attack

The help passes with flying colours, might fail the reverse bechdel though. Good film.

unforgettable passes every week. main detective, secondary detective, techie, coroner all interact with each other about stuff other than a man.

50/50 - moving film but fails

Oh, and Moneyball failed too.

Beauty and the Beast marginally passed. Great big fail on every other Feminist test going.

This explains why I find so many films unwatchable and boring. They have nothing to do with me.

On a similar note - so much of the news is middle aged men being interviewed, it's depressing.

Whip It (Ellen Page film about a girl who joins a roller derby team) - great film AND made me really wish there were roller derby teams in the UK to join (are there?)

Just wondering whether "The Women" passes or fails - that film with an ensemble cast of all women (Meg Ryan, Eva Mendes). Obviously there are loads of conversations between named women but most if not all of them are about relationships with men!

Big Love- series about polygamist family with three wives- passes; the sister wives talk a lot about the husband, but more about their Faith, children, working outside the home and extended families. In fact the relationships between the women are really finely drawn.

Dexter- series about a sympathetic serial killer passes . The female characters talk to each other about work.

Batman The Dark Knight one fails. Unsurprisingly.

Men in Black 3 fails. I was going to say "Unsurprisingly" too but ...these are films aimed at men and women aren't they? I'm sure there are female aliens...

Have just finished watching The Killing 2 (Danish version) and despite the fabulousness of Sarah Lund I am not sure every episode would pass, maybe even the minority. Lund interacts with her mother, Louise, buch's assistant and the female member of Team Aegir but not much more and mostly fairly briefly.

Also trying to remember if Homeland passes. Probably cos of Mrs Brady and Dana.

Breakfast At Tiffany passes.

Sound of Music passes.

Beaches passes.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer seasons 1-3 passes.

Nothing else matters really, does it?

1961

1965

1988

1997-1999

Isn't it weird that none of those were within this century? Are we going backwards?

I know i'll never go and see Piranha 3DD but i'm pretty sure it not only fails but is pretty offensive with it!

Alison Bechdel's new memoir, "Are You My Mother?" passes, not surprisingly... Lots of conversations with her (female) therapist about her mother, her self, and all sorts...

I watched Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe last night and that passes.

Watched super 8 with the family - a family type sci fi movie. Its not a bad movie in itself, but totally fails this test. Its main characters are a group of kids 10-11? consisting of 4 boys and 1 girl. The main characters - a boy and girl only have a father, so there are no real mother characters even.

The girsl role starts off not too bad, but ends up with all the boys coming together to rescue her from the monster. When they find her she is semi comatose and the main boy character has to slap her to bring her round.

Christ, why am I watching stuff like this! I need a Bechdel Test symbol on lovefilm pronto

Kiki's Delivery Service (love Kiki!)

Serenity has already passed - River questioning a teacher talking about the Alliance vs the "Independents".

Or maybe not - I just called her "the teacher", I forgot that she needs a name