1. It has at least 2 (named) women in it,
2. who talk to each other,
3. about something other than a man.
I love the shocking simplicity of this test, because it seems so easy to pass. But the sad truth is that most films don't even come close. Consider this year's summer blockbusters such as Transformers 4, X-Men: Days of Future Past, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, and Godzilla, all of which fail the test. Clearly, the Bechdel Test does a great job exposing the lack of female-friendly films.
However, as a blanket guide to determining whether or not a film is feminist, the test is failing women. For instance, Gravity, one of the highest grossing films of 2013, is one of the only studio blockbusters with a female lead, yet it fails the test because there is only one female character in the movie. In my opinion, Gravity is a major feminist achievement, as Sandra Bullock's character is strong, complex, and nuanced, and possesses her own character arc throughout the film. Unfortunately, the Bechdel Test doesn't see it that way. Other seemingly progressive films with one strong female character such as The Silence of the Lambs and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo also fail the test.
In response to the shortcomings of the Bechdel Test, the Mako Mori Test, named after a beloved female character in Pacific Rim (which failed to pass the Bechdel Test), has recently surfaced. A movie passes the Mako Mori Test if:
1. It has at least 1 female character
2. who gets her own narrative arc
3. that is not about supporting a man's story.
Obviously, Gravity passes the Mako Mori Test with flying colors; as such, I think the Mako Mori Test does a better job determining if a film features strong female characters who do not simply exist as a love interest. After all, the disturbingly problematic The Other Woman passes the Bechdel Test because Leslie Mann and Nicki Minaj have a short conversation about "working too hard," even though the entire plot revolves around a man and the film clearly fails the Mako Mori Test.
Unfortunately, the Mako Mori Test fails to account for the lack of compelling roles for women in most Hollywood films when compared to the number of roles available to males. Is it really enough that Evangeline Lily's character in The Hobbit, Emily Blunt's character in Edge of Tomorrow and Scarlett Johansson's character in The Avengers have their own character arcs when there are literally dozens of strong male leads in each film and they are the only females?
Therefore, it's important to remember that neither the Bechdel Test nor the Mako Mori Test definitively determine if a film is feminist. It's up to each viewer to critically examine each film, because there are some progressive films that fail the tests and problematic ones that don't. In my opinion, a film should ideally pass the Mako Mori test but also the first rule of the Bechdel Test, with the exception of films like Gravity where the plot makes that impossible, to typically be considered feminist. (Kill Bill Vol. 1 & 2, Girls, Frozen, Thelma and Louise, and Orange is the New Black all satisfy this requirement.)
Overall, while both tests are imperfect, they are effective because they draw attention to the lack of compelling female characters who do not revolve around men in film in a straightforward way.
FEMINIST MOVIE/TV RECOMMENDATION OF THE WEEK: BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOR
Per request, I will briefly introduce each of my weekly recommendations, but I will try to keep my recommendations separate from whatever topic I have written about so that I am not constrained each week. Blue is the Warmest Color is controversial because many feminists feel that the actresses are objectified in the film's explicit sex scenes, but I encourage everyone to watch it and decide for themselves. Personally, while the sex scenes are certainly erotic, I find the film liberating in the way it openly and non-judgmentally portrays female sexuality, which is rarely highlighted in film at all. Also, the film is not just about sex, but about the experiences of a young woman falling in love, growing up, and ultimately discovering herself. The female characters are some of the strongest, most realistic and relatable women ever captured on screen.
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