At the end of some of my posts you might see this (-) or this (+). This is my new signifier for if the film fails (-) or passes (+) the Bechdel Test. (The video that I linked to illustrates the point really well, but just in case I have lazy readers, I will delineate and summarize...)
The Bechdel Test comes from a comic created by Allison Bechdel in 1985. It's three simple rules that assess the presence of women in films. The rules are:
1) Are there at least two women in the film (who have names),
2) Do they talk to each other,
3) About something other than a man?
There are SO MANY films that don't pass the test, illustrating that the Hollywood industry is built upon movies that cater to and are about men.
Though this test by no means denotes whether the film is "good" or "bad," I want to evaluate films according to these three rules because I think it's important to be aware of the systemic problem, and hopefully think of ways of overcoming it.
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