Podcast Advent Day 13: The Bechdel Cast

On day 13, we are diving into the world of movies through a lens of 'does this woman even matter on her own?' with The Bechdel Cast.

Caitlin and Jamie meet regularly to talk about movies old and new and whether they pass the Bechdel test - a simple measure of gender representation applied to fiction. A movie can pass the Bechdel test if within it, two people of a minority gender talk about something other than a man i.e. do they exist on their own or only in relation to a man. This sounds very simple but based on the few episodes I've listened to in the past, it turns out this is very difficult to pass. 

Now the episode also covers whatever movie it's talking about in more detail, of course, and it's effectively a review of how well the movie in question holds up based on matrix similar to the Bechdel test. 

Listen to The Bechdel Cast when I need a reminder of how much further we've come or still need to travel to make movies and tell stories about people in dominant positions in society. It's a great podcast to dip into once in a while as a side dish to an active movie watching hobby. I love movies - sometimes for their numbing quality or ability to distract. But I also want to have in the back of my mind, at least occasionally, a quick scan of what I'm actually absorbing because what we watch is what we think.

Today's episode I pulled out is a relatively recent one reviewing Forrest Gump. I am definitely a person who has a lovely nostalgic glowy view of old movies from the '90s, and honestly there are some that I will not be thinking too hard about. But it is helpful to have had my blind spots revealed. It's interesting what we absorb without any question.