How Does the Bechdel Test Fare in Local Films?
Representation has always been one of the major and oldest topics of discussion in media. Regardless of the type of medium (film, television, books, etc.), having clear and authentic representation in a media-fueled society like today’s contributes to a great many things – it breaks down social, cultural, and economic barriers, promotes diversity, and makes way for more unique, untold stories from all walks of life.
Among the many underrepresented groups in media and entertainment, the lack of female representation is one that has been the subject of long-term social consequences. A study in 2015 reveals that: “Male characters received two times the amount of screen time as female characters in 2015 (28.5% compared to 16.0%). And when a film has a male lead, this gender gap is even wider, with male characters appearing on screen nearly three times more often than female characters (34.5% compared to 12.9%).”
With women in media often portrayed in stereotypical or one-dimensional roles, it gives rise to more casual sexism and negative perceptions that are detrimental to the flawed society we already live in. Though, it is important to note that gender inequality transcends many other industries in the world as well.
To analyze and bridge the gap of gender inequality in media, many studies and analyses have been conducted over the years to sieve out the underlying issues to this pressing dilemma. Concepts like Laura Mulvey’s male gaze or the Johanson analysis, just to name a few, are efforts that push for diversity and female representation in the movies and shows we consume today.
In this article, we’re focusing on the Bechdel Test (or, Bechdel-Wallace Test), a popular, albeit debatable tool used to measure the representation of women in fiction. And to add a dose of fun, we’re using it to measure a few films from home.
Let’s hope it doesn’t disappoint.
What’s the Bechdel Test?
The Bechdel Test was first introduced in 1985 in a comic strip series, Dykes to Watch Out For, by American cartoonist, Alison Bechdel. In the featured strip titled, The Rule, we follow two female characters as they contemplate watching a movie, to which one of them divulges a strict ‘rule’, made up of three criteria, that would only be able to convince her to watch a film.
The three criteria, which would later be known as the Bechdel Test, are:
It must have at least two female characters.
They must both be talking to each other.
They must be talking about something other than a man.
Excerpt from the comic strip, ‘The Rule’, by Alison Bechdel
The test was subjected to much criticism over the years for influencing creators to impose feminist ideals just for the sake of 'woke-ness’ and being an unreliable indicator to the quality of a film, among many things. But according to writer Andi Zeisler, the test was never meant to be a measure for feminism, but rather a cultural barometer, as Bechdel herself intended.
With critically acclaimed and successful films like Slumdog Millionaire, Avatar, and even Toy Story 2 failing the Bechdel Test, it’s enough to show the bereft of female representation that we so subconsciously overlook— can you believe none of the female characters in Toy Story 2 interacted with one another?
And for that, we’re seeing how the test fares in Singapore cinema.
Here comes the fun part.
The Moment of Truth
The Singapore film industry is small, but that’s not to say we don’t have an extensive library of local films produced over the years— some of which are big to moderate successes (locally), while many others were never given a chance to be noticed at all. That is the reality.
But for the purpose of this test, we have shortlisted 5 local films, carefully curated for two reasons:
To have female-led performances OR
Have enjoyed some form of success
Before we begin, please remember: the test does not dictate whether a film is good or bad but serves as a helpful measure of female representation only.
The Teenage Textbook Movie (1998)
Pass or Fail: Fail
Based on the bestselling novel, The Teenage Textbook, by Adrian Tan. The Teenage Textbook Movie, in all its glorious 35mm print filled with retro, grainy sights of late 90s Singapore, has failed the Bechdel Test... with flying colors too.
The Teenage Textbook Movie (1998)
Although one can argue that the film’s coming-of-age elements on teenage angst and first love are an attributing factor to this result, the film fails the third criteria of the test in every scene where two female characters are interacting, and we mean every.
Money No Enough (1998)
Pass or Fail: Pass
Jack Neo’s Money No Enough was the highest-grossing film in Singapore upon release until 2012 when ‘Ah Boys to Men’, another film by Neo, assumed the mantle ever since.
This may come as a surprise – a film that follows three Singaporean men as they dream of attaining a financially stable life— but ‘Money No Enough’ has passed the test under the barest circumstances.
Money No Enough (1998)
While most of its scenes with two female characters talking are inaudible (and often in the presence of a man), there is one short scene, however, that finds a group of women having a brief chat about mahjong and dinner. Sounds trivial, but it is quite a refreshing find.
The Maid (2005)
Pass or Fail: Pass
The Maid follows a young domestic helper as she uncovers the spooky secrets of the family that she is employed to work for. There is a balanced supply of moments in this horror hit where two female characters share a scene— talking about cultural traditions (Hungry Ghost Festival) or mentioning other female characters.
While there isn’t a complete omission of conversations that revolves around men, the bulk of the female-to-female interaction is already enough for us to give this film a pass.
The Maid (2005)
881 (2007)
Pass or Fail: Pass
881 is an offbeat musical comedy that tells the story of two friends who aspire to become the best musical act in a quirky, dog-eat-dog depiction of the Singapore Getai scene.
Driven by its two female leads, the film has moments of dialogue where the female characters engage in conversations about their hopes, dreams, and struggles in Getai. But like The Maid, it often falls short with a couple of scenes where they inevitably give a shoutout to the men in their lives.
881 (2007)
Again, we weighed the imbalances of these two types of conversations present in the film and ultimately decided that this film passes the test (with a few exceptions in place). It is a rather subjective decision, but you can be the judge of that.
That Girl in Pinafore (2013)
Pass or Fail: Pass
For a film with ‘Girl’ in its title, we had to include this in our list.
That Girl in Pinafore is a coming-of-age musical-comedy about a group of secondary school students as they traverse the rocky yet effervescent journey of teenhood.
While the initial exchanges between two or more female characters in the film are limited to ‘see you’ and ‘bye’, it gradually picks up with plenty of scenes (not all) that find the female protagonist having conversations with other girls about anything other than the opposite sex.
That Girl in Pinafore (2013)
The Final Verdict
It does appear that Singapore films are not too shoddy when it comes to the Bechdel Test.
Though we must stress again: the test does not determine the quality of the films above nor should it be taken as a guide to making films—the key is to tell stories from the heart and have representation where it is essential to a narrative, not for the sake of ticking a diversity box.
While the Bechdel Test may only speak for the gender imbalance in films, we are actually seeing a more urgent trend in local films—the lack of proper racial representation.
Don’t you think it's about time we start having that conversation?