What do the 2023 movies Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget, The Zone of Interest, and Barbie have in common? An animation about runaway chickens, the Holocaust, and a pink-tastic homage to a toy doll certainly don’t share plotlines, but they do all pass the Bechdel Test.
Conceived by cartoonist and writer Alison Bechdel, the author of the graphic memoir-turned-musical Fun Home, the test examines the representation of women in film (it can also be applied to other forms of fiction). It first appeared in 1985 as part of a joke between two characters in Bechdel’s long-running comic strip Dykes to Watch Out For. One character comments she’s only interested in films that meet certain criteria involving their female characters. Bechdel has since said it was her friend Liz Wallace who came up with this criteria, so you might see it referred to as the Bechdel-Wallace Test.
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In order to pass the Bechdel Test, a project must feature:
- At least two women
- The women talking to each other
- The women discussing something other than a man
A low bar, right? You’d be surprised how many movies fail on one or more of the three.
Even movies that prominently feature women often depict thinly sketched female characters. Here are some examples of films that fail the Bechdel Test:
- The Holdovers (Dir. Alexander Payne)
- Killers of the Flower Moon (Dir. Martin Scorsese)
- Oppenheimer (Dir. Christopher Nolan)
- Slumdog Millionaire (Dir. Danny Boyle)
- Toy Story (Dir. John Lasseter)
- The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Dir. David Fincher)
An ever-growing list of movies do pass the Bechdel Test, including:
- Wonka (Dir. Paul King)
- Poor Things (Dir. Yorgos Lanthimos)
- The Lost Daughter (Dir. Maggie Gyllenhaal)
- Last Night in Soho (Dir. Edgar Wright)
- Little Women (Dir. Greta Gerwig)
- Bend It Like Beckham (Dir. Gurinder Chadha)
- 28 Days Later (Dir. Danny Boyle)
Emma Stone in “Poor Things” Credit: Atsushi Nishijima
While the Bechdel Test quantifies a specific representation of female characters, it’s neither qualitative nor a marker as to whether a movie is feminist. For instance, horror flicks like American Psycho and Hannibal are Bechdel Test–passing movies – largely thanks to their characters’ focus on surviving – but their depictions of violence against women aren’t exactly empowering.
Meanwhile, other movies fail the test by nature of the subject matter. Take the WWII film Dunkirk, which chronicles the evacuation of British soldiers trapped on a beach in France. It fails the Bechdel Test because the story exclusively (and appropriately, given the fact that women were not allowed to participate in armed conflict) focuses on a group of male characters. The poignant divorce drama Marriage Story, despite being praised for its realistic depiction of a painful breakup, also fails the test given the script’s sole focus on its heteronormative characters’ divorce.
Women aren’t the only population being underrepresented in movies. A number of Bechdel-adjacent tests have been developed to document how other groups are portrayed in media.
The Mako Mori Test
A successor to the Bechdel Test, the Mako Mori test also relates to the representation of female characters in film. Rather than focusing on the number of female characters present or what they say to one another, this test requires there to be at least one female character with an independent plot arc – one that does not exist to support a male lead’s arc.
The Mako Mori Test was proposed in 2013 by a Tumblr user named Chaila in response to Pacific Rim not passing the Bechdel Test despite following a strong female supporting character, Mako Mori.
Examples of movies that pass the Mako Mori Test include:
- Sister Act (Dir. Emile Ardolino)
- Frozen (Dir. Jennifer Lee, Chris Buck)
- Toy Story 2 (Dir. John Lasseter)
The DuVernay Test
Invented in 2016 by New York Times film critic Manohla Dargis and named after the Black filmmaker, screenwriter, and producer Ava DuVernay, this test documents the presence of racially diverse characters in films and other media. Developed in reaction to the #OscarsSoWhite movement, it examines whether characters of colour have been given rich narratives rather than existing solely in relation to white characters.
Its criteria are three-fold. For a movie to pass, it must feature:
1. At least two characters of colour who are not in a romantic relationship, who each have complex lives (such as a backstory and motives that don’t relate to a white character’s plot)
2. The characters of colour must have names
3. The characters of colour must have dialogue beyond conversations about supporting a white character
Movies that pass the DuVernay Test include:
- Selma (Dir. Ava DuVernay)
- Black Panther (Dir. Ryan Coogler)
- The Colour Purple (1985 dir. Steven Spielberg / 2023 dir. Blitz Bazawule)
The Waithe Test
Proposed by Emmy-winning writer and actor Lena Waithe in 2017, the Waithe Test fuses principles of the Bechdel and DuVernay tests to focus on the presence of Black women in film and other media. To pass, a film must feature a Black woman who works in a position of power and is in a healthy relationship.
Movies that pass the Waithe Test include:
- Hidden Figures (Dir. Theodore Melfi)
- Independence Day: Resurgence (Dir. Roland Emmerich)
- Bad Moms (Dir. Jon Lucas, Scott Moore)
The Vito Russo Test
Developed by the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), and named after film scholar and GLAAD co-founder Vito Russo, this test addresses LGBTQIA+ representation in film.
In order to pass, a movie must feature at least one character who:
1. Is identifiably bisexual, lesbian, gay, and/or transgender
2. Is not solely defined by their sexuality
3. Is integral to the plot
Movies that pass the Vito Russo Test include:
- The Imitation Game (Dir. Morten Tyldum)
- Call Me by Your Name (Dir. Luca Guadagnino)
- Booksmart (Dir. Olivia Wilde)
The Sexy Lamp Test
Proposed by Captain Marvel writer Kelly Sue DeConnick, this test might sound like a spoof, but it makes a valid argument: “If you can remove a female character from your plot and replace her with a sexy lamp and your story still works…then you're a hack.” DeConnick makes the point that in so many works of fiction, female characters are so inconsequential to the narrative they could be portrayed by an object instead of a person. The test therefore advocates for female characters with agency.
Films that fail the Sexy Lamp Test include:
- Breakfast at Tiffany’s (Dir. Blake Edwards)
- Transformers (Dir. Travis Knight, Steven Caple Jr., Michael Bay)
- Skyfall (Dir. Sam Mendes)
Margot Robbie, Alexandra Shipp, Michael Cera, Ariana Greenblatt, and America Ferrera in “Barbie” Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures
Four decades on, the Bechdel Test remains vitally relevant. Despite sterling efforts from directors including Greta Gerwig (Barbie) and Celine Song (Past Lives), 2023’s top 100 films saw just 30 feature a female lead or co-lead, culminating in a 10-year low for female representation in the industry.
Research from San Diego State University found the percentage of films with female protagonists dropped from 33% in 2022 to 28% in 2023, while the percentage of females in speaking roles declined from 37% to 35% over the same period. Unless things change, a 50-50 gender split reportedly won’t be achieved until 2085 in the UK.
Acknowledging the gender imbalance is a step in the right direction, and tools like the Bechdel Test help monitor representation.