The next time you see a movie—any movie—ask yourself three questions.
- Are there two or more women in this movie?
- Do the two women ever talk to each other?
- And finally, and perhaps most depressingly, do these women talk about something other than men?
If the answer to all of these questions is YES, then you have what Alison Bechdel, cartoonist and author, would deem a worthwhile movie. You may be thinking to yourself, “Wow! Those are ridiculously easy questions. What low standards for being worthwhile! Everything will pass!” But alas, dear reader, that is not so. A shocking number of movies fail this test.
Let’s take a look at, oh, say, 2011 Oscar Best Picture Nominees (seen by this writer mostly at the wonderful Charles Theater). Failing the Bechdel Test are The Fighter (whose whopping nine female characters talk to each other but never once about anything other than their brothers/boyfriend/sons), The Social Network, The King’s Speech, Inception, 127 Hours, True Grit, and, I could be wrong (and hope I am), but according to my analysis, Toy Story 3. For the math nerds among you, that is a 70% rate of failure.
Once again, I imagine your thoughts. “Why, that’s silly. Some stories are about mainly men. Should we just shove women into movies where they aren’t an important part of the story?” And the answer, of course, is no. But the question we should be asking is, why are we only making movies about men? Why do women have to struggle to see a movie that has a real representation of them? Women do more than just stand around and help men find themselves. We should celebrate the 2011 Oscar Best Picture Nominees that passed the Bechdel Test—Black Swan, The Kids are All Right, and Winter’s Bone.
What do you think? Is this a valid test? Will it help you think of movies in a different way? Can you think of any other movies that flagrantly fail the test? Or (better!) movies that pass the test with flying colors? Let me know your thoughts in the Comment section! Also, check out the original comic strip in Dykes to Watch Out For. If you want to see more of Alison Bechdel’s work, stop by Red Emma’s Bookstore and Coffeehouse (located at 800 St. Paul St)—they have both of her books in stock, along with a quite well rounded gender section.
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