The Bechdel Test was introduced to us as a tool. It’s a way of getting you to think about the content of a film as it relates to women. It is a good mechanism for starting a discussion, though we’ve come to find it is not a make it or break it sort of thing. Depending on the film, it’s not necessarily a knock against it if it doesn’t pass the Bechdel Test. For example, with Kramer vs Kramer it is a story about a father and a son. It doesn’t need to pass the Bechdel Test in order to put women in a good light. Because it’s about breaking the mold of a working dad, it helps to break the ideas of a stay at home mom. But if we were to take a film like Bridesmaids, where it is completely centered around a huge female cast, if it didn’t pass the Bechdel Test it would be problematic.
Because of all this, we don’t think it is smart to use the Bechdel Test as our only basis to form a decision. Like we said, it’s a good starting point, but there are other things that one should take into account when deciding if a film is a good “feminist” film, or just a good representation of women in general. Plus, it’s also important to take into account the time period. Ideals of what makes a good portrayal of a woman varies decade to decade, and it’s possible for a film to be a progressive film for it’s era, even if it wouldn’t be considered so if it came out today. You also can’t just look at the female characters. The male characters can add to the image just as much. It’s important to note how the men treat and talk about the women, and also what their role is in general.
We are very lucky to live in a time where focusing on women in film is a very dominant topic and discussion. The Bechdel Test came out in a time when there wasn’t necessarily much discussion on women’s presence in films, and it opened the door for the discussion.
Because of all this, we don’t think it is smart to use the Bechdel Test as our only basis to form a decision. Like we said, it’s a good starting point, but there are other things that one should take into account when deciding if a film is a good “feminist” film, or just a good representation of women in general. Plus, it’s also important to take into account the time period. Ideals of what makes a good portrayal of a woman varies decade to decade, and it’s possible for a film to be a progressive film for it’s era, even if it wouldn’t be considered so if it came out today. You also can’t just look at the female characters. The male characters can add to the image just as much. It’s important to note how the men treat and talk about the women, and also what their role is in general.
We are very lucky to live in a time where focusing on women in film is a very dominant topic and discussion. The Bechdel Test came out in a time when there wasn’t necessarily much discussion on women’s presence in films, and it opened the door for the discussion.