>Eh. I know I'm probably preaching to the choir here, but the Bechdel
>Test is an overrated thing, and anyone that believes in it
>wholeheartedly needs to be pointed towards a porno flick that happens
>to technically pass the Bechdel Test. My favourite fact about the Bechdel Test is the line "Oh my god, Becky, look at her butt" means Baby Got Back by Sir Mix-a-Lot passes it.
The point is that the test while it is, as Traitor mentioned, a ridiculously low bar to pass which many works don't, it's not meant as a judgement of the quality of a work or its female characters. Good films can fail, while bad films can pass. For example:
- Gravity fails because there are only two main characters - one male, one female - and hence no opportunity for two females to have a conversation in the first place.
- Mulan (the animated version) fails because of its feminist themes of overcoming sexism - Mulan starts in an environment where women are valued only for their ability to get a man and produce babies, and then moves into an environment where there are no other women at all because it's not allowed.
- Manos: The Hands of Fate is in no way a good film, nor does it ever present women in a positive way. Nevertheless, it passes because Manos' wives discuss whether or not to spare the lives of the mother and daughter so they can become wives too.
In conclusion, when considering whether or not something passes the test, you also need to ask why it does or doesn't.