Bechdel Test Movie List

Though not fictitious, documentaries should be included because what documentaries are made, what stories are told, and who appears in them are ways that films demonstrate gender equity or bias.

While the doc focuses mainly on Jiro and his son, Yoshikazu, it also features the insight from Jiro's younger son, small staff (all men), long-time patron and food critic (a man), his former apprentice (a man), and all his food suppliers at the fish market (also all men), all of whom have their names listed when they appear.

There are only a few instances when women appear or have any screen time, but none of them are named or questioned by the filmmakers. There is Jiro's unnamed wife, who is never seen beyond still photography. It is difficult to determine, even on an online search, if she is alive or dead as of the filming of the doc, let alone what her name is. And even while Jiro is reflecting on his son's upbringing.

The other women are either patrons or some of Jiro's old childhood friends who he visits one day, all unnamed and who only speak to Jiro or to other men in the doc.

This movie's focus is on Jiro and his sushi. They don't really talk about anything else. Why would they talk to random women in this documentary if no women are directly involved in the process of him making sushi. Unfortunately sushi making and fishing seem to be male dominated fields, especially in Japan, but does that mean that a documentary should not be made about a man who is arguably the greatest chef in the world simply because his business is run by men?

Re: Joa Hamels - No one said anything about whether documentaries about men "should" be made. It still fails the test. Failing the test does not mean it is a bad documentary. If an overwhelming portion of documentaries fail then it means something is wrong with how documentaries are made. Again it doesn't say anything about whether any one documentary "should" exist.

Actually, women are not seen as good sushi chefs as their hands are too warm, so I think it's a perfect example. It's a discriminatory career.