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Before I even start, I want to make this clear that this is not an attempt to troll or me trying to nitpick or be a dick. This is meant as a genuine question and I’d like genuine responses please.

Having said that. Does Women Talking fail the Bechdel Test?

From my understanding, the test has 3 components:

1.) that there be 2 named female characters who are featured. This one is obviously satisfied.

2.) That these featured women speak to each other. This one seems to be satisfied as almost the entire cast is women and the are talking to each other. However, the presence of the male school teacher/note taker in all the meetings scenes, does that negate those scenes? Do the two or more women have to be alone to qualify? If his inclusion in these scenes disqualifies them, then there are relatively few left.

3.)That when the women talk they do not discuss men. This is the one that has me tripped up. The entire plot is about coming to terms with their male dominated society and the crimes against the women.

Now I only saw the movie once so there may be scenes I’m not remembering but it seems the actual rules of the test and the spirit of the test are significantly at odds here. It’s a story about women building trust and compromise for a better future for themselves and later generations but even this story cannot escape the narrative confines that make it (in my view) fail the test.

Is the test somewhat limited in dealing with this particular film or is it a fundamental flaw in the test itself? I think most people would agree the film has a feminist message but then why does it fail what is often held up as the standard for progressive filmmaking? Perhaps the rural/religious aspects undercut the spirit of the test?

Again, this is a serious question and I’d like to hear serious thoughts. Did I miss something in the film or am I being perhaps to strict in my reading of the test rather than following the spirit of the test?

Thanks for your thoughts!