Bechdel Test Movie List

The passing scene occurs early in the film, when Dana and Jules talk about Jules new hair color. They also discuss what Dana is bringing along the trip, particularly her choice of books. However, these conversations happen in between conversations about Curt, Holden, and Dana's ex, so it might be considered dubious.

I've seen the film twice and still have trouble picking specific conversations, because many of the conversations in the movie in general include more than two participants, many times with two (but not all) being female and the conversation not being about or centered around men. I wouldn't be surprised if there was a scene later on in the film, especially near the end, that passed more clearly but that I just missed.

SPOILER ALERT
I think the director and Dana exchange words about the end of the world, but I'm not sure.

SPOILER ALERT
Yes, but I'm pretty sure that those words are primarily if not entirely in relation to Marty and his role in the whole thing. I could easily be misremembering, though...

It's a moot point anyway, since I think it clearly passes with the exchanges between Dana and Jules, but the Director and Dana also have a dialogue which is some thing like
SPOILER ALERT
DIRECTOR: And, finally, you, the virgin. It doesn't matter that you die, only that you suffer.
DANA: Virgin?
DIRECTOR: Well, we work with what we're given.

Does 'director' count as a name?

I'd say 'Director' desn't count as a named character, but there is also the scientist Wendy Lin, though I don't think she spoke to any of the other women. I'd also like to point out that this movie was made to poke fun at horror movie tropes, so the lack of female characters/non-male-centric dialog may have been intentional.

It definitely passes in the beginning, where Dana and Jules discuss her new hair color.

I think "The Director" counts. It's a term she uses to describe herself, ("I'm the Director") as much as the Oracle is named "The Oracle" and the Architect is "The Architect" in The Matrix Trilogy.

I think the concept of two female characters having "names" is to avoid unimportant, throwaway dialogue situations where the characters are so unimportant as to not warrant a name in the script (ala "Security Guard 1", "Alexis's Secretary", etc.)

Those characters don't have names, but Sigourney Weaver's character does. She's not "Woman" or "Woman in Business Suit", she's referred to as "The Director".

Also, don't forget that (SPOILER ALERT) they were being drugged to act more like cliche characters then the well rounded people they actually were.

@Q definitely a valid point, when thinking about whether this movie is subversive, or whether it is just more sexism- perpetuating rubbish.. or a bit of both.

I'm inclined, however, to say 2 out of 3, since the only scene that could count is a segment of a larger conversation between two women that is primarily concerned with men... the segment not counting as a conversation in and of itself since its only a moment of continuing dialogue.

All other moments of verbal exchange between women happen either in tandem with men or directly concern men.

I guess it could pass on a technicality, as Jules and Dana are talking about their upcoming trip with (male) friends. Jules is trying to encourage Dana not to bring her books and to prepare to have fun. And there is an exchange about Jules having bleached her hair.

Spoilers ahead:

I don't remember Wendy speaking with any other women. She's the only female character in the control room, and she doesn't speak with the subjects.

The last scene, with The Director, is dubious--does the test require that have to have an actual name or be referred to as a title, as in this case. If it's the second case, it would count.

And as someone else pointed out, this movie pokes fun at horror movie conventions and stereotypes.

The Director's conversation with Dana totally counts. The Director's presence is constant through the film and she's mentioned early on. She's a huge character.

I'm going to argue that named characters are ones where they speak their name/how they choose to be seen/named. Hence "The Oracle" in "The Matrix" and "The Director" count as that is how they introduce themselves.

But "waitress" and "coffee woman" in a restaurant scene would not count as that is not how they introduce themselves. They would refer to themselves by their names, not job title or situation.

So I think that Cabin gets a pass on that front.

I would say the conversation between Dana and the Director should definitely count.

Insisting that the characters have names is intended to prevent films from slipping through with exchanges like:

"Would you like cream and sugar?"
"Yes, please."

...while the rest of the film deals with men saving the world or preventing the Collapse Of Capitalism or whatever it is that men do in those sorts of films.

Here, the conversation in question involves two women with the power to prevent the world from ending, and is fairly central to the film. If that doesn't count, I don't know what does.