Bechdel Test Movie List

/bech·del test/ n.
1. It has to have at least two [named] women in it
2. Who talk to each other
3. About something besides a man

[[3]] Lost In Translation (2003) [imdb]

This movie passed 3 of 3 tests (although dubious). It was entered by AlexanderLXXXIV on 2010-07-03 14:46:37.

Reviews

Comments

AlexanderLXXXIV said:
Although, technically, Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson) and Kelly (Anna Faris) talk to each other about something besides a man, they only make small talk.
Message posted on 2010-07-03 14:46:37
lemmie said:
But earlier there's a scene where Charlotte talks on the phone to a friend about her stay in Tokyo and her sadness/loneliness.
Message posted on 2010-09-29 21:32:29
ot disagreed with the rating and said:
Not sure this passes at all.

The woman on the phone isn't a character, AND she's not actually listening to Charlotte talk about her loneliness (she's actually being distracted by her child I think, and ends the call without listening to her!). Charlotte is talking to thin air.

Charlotte and Kelly don't actually speak to each other - Kelly speaks to the group sat round the table: "promise me you'll all try this power-cleanse" and "my dad is an anorexic".

Charlotte's reply ["really?"] is not directed at Kelly, we don;t see or hear Kelly's reaction to this.
Message posted on 2010-12-31 14:57:31
philology said:
I agree with the rating but I must pose the question whether the film passes a reverse Bechdel test. That is, one where two men talk to each other about something other than women.
While it might pass this test, it does not do so on a substantive level.
I argue that it fails a reverse as well emphasising the personal issues of the characters over gender oriented conversation.
Message posted on 2011-06-20 13:05:44
misclanous said:
I agree with the rating, particularly because of philology's reasoning. If it doesn't pass the bechdel, it definitely doesn't pass a reverse, and that is because the personal character issues are emphasized rather then any conversation around their genders.
Message posted on 2012-10-11 11:31:30
Trina B disagreed with the rating and said:
I agree with OT.. It's a 1 out of 3. the woman on the phone isn't a named character AND the scenes with Kelly don't count because they're not really talking to each other.. Kelly is talking at her and her husband, and anyway the entire scene lasts under a minute I think.

And yes, it does pass the reverse bechdel test: there's that long scene where Bill Murray is being interviewed on TV by Matthew Minami, the talk show host. But even if you don't count that since they communicate in part through a translator, not passing the reverse bechdel test still doesn't make a film pass.
Message posted on 2013-08-27 13:58:35
pikeamus said:
I think this passes. People can quibble about the whether or not Kelly and Charlotte are having a conversation but it must at least be admitted that they say words directed at one another. That should qualify as talking to one another in my books. The test doesn't require that the women who talk make an effort to engage one another, nor does it require that no men be present or involved in the scene where the women talk.
Message posted on 2013-11-11 11:27:15
r said:
Trina B the woman on the phone’s name is Lauren.
Message posted on 2022-07-01 22:50:31

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