Bechdel Test Movie List

It's basically women going to war. There are a lot of powerful women, like Katniss, Alma Coin, Cressida, Paylor, Prim...

This movie passes with flying colors! Katniss and Prim talk about Prim becoming a doctor, how powerful katniss is to Alma. Alma Coin and Katniss talk about the war, strategy and other things nothing to do with men. Actually I think most parts of the film pass the test unless they were talking about Peeta or President Snow. The movie is really equal on male and female characters and have women doing really important things. There is also a woman leader in it.

Katniss is willing to sacrifice herself and her entire world for the man she loves so that he may live. She's a wimp and not a strong role model at all.
Fail!

In this movie, ostensibly about a young woman leading a revolution, all of the movement is directed by men. Katniss is constantly being directed or manipulated by men, so also the president. Any conversations women have with women are about orders ultimately given by men. Frankly I thought it was disgusting, and definitely a betrayal of the theme.

I agree
-main character is female
-many, many diverse female characters (Coin, Cressida, Prim, even D8 lady, D5 rebels, Effie)
-Katniss does it all for PRIM. A GIRL. She says so.
- Snow's character is directly opposed by Coin, a intelligent, multidimensional woman. Likewise Katniss "vs" Peeta.

This movie definitely aces the Bechdel test in my opinion. Even though Coin defers to Plutarch a few times, she shuts him down consistently when it comes to matters of daily running of Thirteen because - surprise! - the president knows what she's doing much better than Plutarch. I personally really enjoyed seeing a new side of Coin - she keeps all of her strength, but is also surprisingly kind in the film.

And for goodness's sake, Katniss is a teenage/young adult girl who's had to raise her little sister and care for her family, plus help her friend care for /his/ family, nearly singlehandedly, for years. She has PTSD because she killed and almost was killed repeatedly during not one but /two/ sets of Games. Cut the kid some dang slack.

Katniss's interactions with her sister, Prim, alone make this movie past the test. They talk about Prim's cat; Prim's promotion; why there are so few children in District 13; and how Katniss could probably ask for anything from Coin and get it.

Her negotiations with President Coin include talk about freeing the captive victors, which includes Peeta, but the conversations between Katniss and Coin are about her becoming "The Mockingjay".

I disagree with Elizabeth. Yes, Katniss would sacrifice a lot for Peeta. But ultimatly, she would do the same (and more) for her sister. So this is not about a woman mindlessly following a man, but about a woman desperatly trying to save the people she loves, whether they are male or female.
Other than Katniss, there are a fair amount of strong female characters. Alma Coin is a strong female leader, Cressida is a woman who is said the be the best director i the capitol and thus chosen for her talent, Prim proves herself to be maturing into an intelligent young woman and although we haven't seen much of Paylor yet, as far as I can tell she appears to be a warrior leading her district despite the desperate conditions.
Overall, I would say this film has done a good job.

Elizabeth: That's really unfair to say. First off, if you look at the story from character perspective Katniss is suffering from PTSD. She's a teen who was forced to kill; she's not a wimp, her mind has been damaged. Mental injuries can be just as deadly (AND REAL) as physical injuries.

Second off: She does NOT throw the entire world for a man. Again, story perspective, he helped her a lot and she finally realizes how important Peeta is to her as a PERSON rather than just a tool. Also, how's is sacrifice a wimpy thing? Actually, as a society, don't we emphasize that sacrifice is important? If you do things for yourself you're considered selfish. And, also, she doesn't throw the entire world to save him; she asks multiple person, including Coin to help Peeta and no one listens until it's too late.

Now, motivation for her actions because of a man is questionable (I personally don't care as I like how the story handled it) and I understand that skews the message for some.

Elizabeth: if Katniss were written as a man in an identical situation, he would be every bit as desperate to save the woman he loved. Why is commonly accepted hero behavior wrong when a woman does it? I don't get that.

Also, Finnick was even more torn apart by losing his love interest.

In many ways, it's a movie about a hero (Katniss) fighting to save a "damsel in distress" (Peeta). Hard to say the passage of the Bechdel test is undeserved when there is such a complete role reversal here...

The movie passes, but only because we don't hear Katniss's inner monologue. If there was a Bechdel test for books, the novel would not pass, as Katniss's spends 90% of her time thinking about Peeta, talking about Peeta, occasionally taking time out to talk or think about other men; Snow, Fennick, Cinna, Gale, Plutarch, Beetee, or Haymitch. Almost all of her actions, motivations, struggles, & conditions revolve around Peeta.

There are a lot of scenes that pass the test in this movie, such as the other Hunger Games movies.

- Effie telling Katniss the effect the girl has on the audience.
"People out there will either wanna kill you, kiss you, or be you.

- Cressida telling Katniss that her group had run away from the Capital because of her.
"We all fled on our own. Fo this, for you"

- Cressida directing Katniss' propos: To talk about the hospital burning in District 8. To say that the District 13 was alive and so was she.

- Every interation between Prim and Katniss: The importance Katniss has to the District 13 leaders, Prim arguing that she had to save the cat during the Capital atack, Prim telling that she was being trained to be a doctor.

- Coin telling Katniss that she would find hope even in that desperate moment.

Katniss is not joining the cause just to save Peeta. She agrees that the Capital must be taken down, but she is worried about what may happen to Peeta if the rebels win. She talks about it with Prim in their room, she says she wanna help.
It's not the only moment. When she says "I am, I will" when asked at the hospital if she was there to fight, she is assuming the role of Mockingjay because she finally understands the importance it has for the people.

Elizabeth Kurtz: The Bechdel Test is about conversations between women, and this movie clearly has plenty of these that aren't about men. The movie doesn't fail just because you don't like it.