Passes the Bechdel test

2012

Name: 2012
Released: 2009

2009. Directed by Roland Emmerich, written by Roland Emmerich and Harald Kloser.

The Bechdel test

Bechdel score

3 / 3

Passes

Yes 1. At least two women
24 women characters. 12 of them speak.
Yes 2. Who talk to each other
In 5 scenes out of 256.
Yes 3. About something besides a man
In those scenes, our script parser found no man named. See the scene.

Second opinion

Disagree bechdeltest.com readers give it 1 out of 3.

The film

Dr. Adrian Helmsley, part of a worldwide geophysical team investigating the effect on the earth of radiation from unprecedented solar storms, learns that the earth's core is heating up. He warns U.S. President Thomas Wilson that the crust of the earth is becoming unstable and that without proper preparations for saving a fraction of the world's population, the entire race is doomed. Meanwhile, writer Jackson Curtis stumbles on the same information. While the world's leaders race to build "arks" to escape the impending cataclysm, Curtis struggles to find a way to save his family. Meanwhile, volcanic eruptions and earthquakes of unprecedented strength wreak havoc around the world.

Released: 13 Nov 2009
Genres: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Rated: PG-13
IMDb: 5.9 / 10
Metascore: 49 / 100
Awards: 5 wins & 21 nominations total
Elsewhere: View on IMDb

Starring, by lines spoken

Women
Men
Not in the cast list
Bigger name, more lines

Jackson 129 lines, man
Adrian 113 lines, man
Kate 59 lines, woman
Anheuser 55 lines, man
Gordon 38 lines, man
Yuri 38 lines, man
Noah 34 lines, man
Laura 31 lines, woman
Lilly 31 lines, woman
Sasha 29 lines, man

Full cast, 107 people

John Cusack as Jackson Curtis
Amanda Peet as Kate Curtis
Chiwetel Ejiofor as Adrian Helmsley
Thandiwe Newton as Laura Wilson
Oliver Platt as Carl Anheuser
Tom McCarthy as Gordon Silberman
Woody Harrelson as Charlie Frost
Danny Glover as President Thomas Wilson
Liam James as Noah Curtis
Morgan Lily as Lilly Curtis
Zlatko Burić as Yuri Karpov
Beatrice Rosen as Tamara
Alexandre Haussmann as Alec
Philippe Haussmann as Oleg
Johann Urb as Sasha
John Billingsley as Professor West
Chin Han as Tenzin
Osric Chau as Nima
Chang Tseng as Grandfather Sonam
Lisa Lu as Grandmother Sonam
Blu Mankuma as Harry Helmsley
George Segal as Tony Delgatto
Stephen McHattie as Captain Michaels
Patrick Bauchau as Roland Picard
Jimi Mistry as Dr. Satnam Tsurutani
Ryan McDonald as Scotty
Merrilyn Gann as German Chancellor
Henry O as Lama Rinpoche
Patrick Gilmore as Ark Communications Officer
Dean Marshall as Ark Communications Officer
Ron Selmour as Ark Boarding Officer
Viv Leacock as Ark Boarding Officer
Chris Boyd as Ark Boarding Officer
Donna Yamamoto as AF1 Science Officer
Doron Bell as AF1 Science Officer
David Orth as AF1 Lieutenant
Lyndall Grant as Governor
Jason Diablo as Ark Tech Officer
Ty Olsson as AF1 Officer
Zinaid Memišević as President Sergey Makarenko
Vincent Cheng as Chinese Colonel
Igor Morozov as Russian Interpreter
BJ Harrison as Woman Comforting Child
Dominic Zamprogna as Paramedic
Karin Konoval as Sally - President's Secretary
Mary Gillis as Jackson's Neighbor
Rick Tae as Megaphone Officer
Parm Soor as Saudi Prince
Gerard Plunkett as Isaacs - MI6 Officer
Paul Tryl as Zultan
Andrei Kovski as Zultan's Trainer
Val Cole as News Reporter - Tikal
Eve Harlow as Cashier
Sean Tyson as Interrogating Officer
Leonard Tenisci as Italian Prime Minister
Michael Buffer as Boxing Announcer
Daren A. Herbert as Ship Waiter
Craig Stanghetta as Vegas Rescue Worker
Mateen Devji as Ajit - age 5
Qayam Devji as Ajit - age 9
Jody Thompson as CNN Anchor
Tanya Champoux as Mrs. Birnbaum
Frank C. Turner as Preacher
Kinua McWatt as Yoko Delgatto
Laara Sadiq as British Newscaster
Gillian Barber as Cruise Ship Lady
Candus Churchill as Cruise Ship Lady
Beverley Elliott as Cruise Ship Lady
Agam Darshi as Aparna
Raj Lal as Gurdeep
Pesi Daruwalla as Dr. Lokesh
Jacob Blair as AF1 Steward
Jay Williams as AF1 Steward
Scott E. Miller as Ark Naval Officer
Anna Mae Wills as Ark Naval Officer
John Stewart as Pilot
Ryan Cook as Surfer
Brandon Haas as Surfer
Eddie Hassell as Surfer
Betty Phillips as Elderly Driver
Georgina Hegedos as Elderly Driver
Luis Javier as Vegas Tow Truck Driver
Dean Redman as Vegas Fireman
Gordon Lai as Security Commander
Mark Docherty as Field Reporter - Tikal
Mark Oliver as Fundraiser Security
Andrew Moxham as Policeman
Alexandra Castillo as Paris Reporter
Farouk A. Afify as Saudi Senior Security
Shaun Wilson as US Army Worker
Leo Chiang as Chinese Soldier
Elizabeth Richard as Queen Elizabeth
Kyle Riefsnyder as Cho Ming Platform Officer
John Mee as Angry Billionaire
George Trochta as American Ark Steward
Geoff Gustafson as Ark Bridge Crew
Alex Zahara as Ark Bridge Crew
Jason Griffith as Ark Bridge Crew
Jill Morrison as Ark Bridge Crew
Thomas Parkinson as Ark Bridge Crew
Leona Naidoo as Ark Bridge Crew
Quentin Guyon as Ark Bridge Crew
Nicole Rudell as Ark Bridge Crew
Chad Riley as Ark Bridge Crew
Simon Leung as Ark Bridge Crew
Kevin Haaland as Ark Bridge Crew
Leigh Burrows as US Army Worker

Who talks, scene by scene

Lines of dialogue in every 6 scenes, start to finish. Women above the line, men below. 7% of lines come from characters we couldn't match to the cast list and aren't shown.

Women

Men

Scene 1 Scene 256

Hover, tap or tab to a bar to see those scenes: where they happen and who's talking.

Show the numbers

Scenes	Women's lines	Men's lines
1 to 6	0	19
7 to 12	0	19
13 to 18	6	9
19 to 24	11	30
25 to 30	9	30
31 to 36	5	46
37 to 42	11	31
43 to 48	1	14
49 to 54	6	11
55 to 60	3	23
61 to 66	4	19
67 to 72	13	10
73 to 78	2	17
79 to 84	9	22
85 to 90	5	41
91 to 96	0	11
97 to 102	0	4
103 to 108	0	3
109 to 114	14	32
115 to 120	0	9
121 to 126	9	16
127 to 132	7	12
133 to 138	1	16
139 to 144	3	25
145 to 150	5	28
151 to 156	4	13
157 to 162	4	28
163 to 168	1	4
169 to 174	2	3
175 to 180	3	12
181 to 186	3	14
187 to 192	4	3
193 to 198	0	4
199 to 204	1	16
205 to 210	1	3
211 to 216	5	2
217 to 222	3	4
223 to 228	0	8
229 to 234	1	0
235 to 240	0	4
241 to 246	5	8
247 to 252	4	18
253 to 256	2	14

The evidence

Straight from the script
Counted from the script and the credits

Tap an exhibit to open it.

Exhibit A: the passing scenes

The scene our parser counted as passing, word for word.

LILLY: I'm hungry Mummy. KATE: At least it looks like the Mosquitos ate well. KATE: Wanna come in?

LILLY: Hi mommy... KATE: Where are you, honey!?

LILLY: Ouch! KATE: LILLY!

KATE: I have no clue if you understand what I'm saying, but I ask you as a mother, please take my kids with you! MRS. PANG: We are all children of this earth.

MRS. PANG: We will take them all. Bata? KATE: Thank you ma'am. Thank you so much.

Exhibit B: every 100 lines

Out of every 100 lines with a known speaker, 20 are women's.

167 lines from women, 655 from men.

Women
Men

Exhibit C: who's in it

24 women and 68 men in the cast. 12 women and 33 men from it get lines.

Characters

With lines

Women
Men

Exhibit D: who gets heard

The first woman speaks at line 53 of 881. The longest stretch with no woman speaking runs 52 lines.

Every line of dialogue, first to last

First line by a woman
Longest stretch with no woman speaking

Words spoken

Women speak 17% of the words (1,362), men 83% (6,583). Women have 20% of the lines, so their lines run shorter than men's.

Exhibit E: the test the other way

Two named men talk to each other about something besides a woman. It passes the reverse test.

Conversations between two named characters

Two women

Two men

103

Exhibit F: behind the camera

4 of the 16 people in these jobs are women. Across the whole crew, 29% of the people whose gender is listed are women.

Directed by: Roland Emmerich (man)
Written by: Harald Kloser (man), Roland Emmerich (man)
Produced by: Harald Kloser (man), Mark Gordon (man), Larry Franco (man)
Shot by: Dean Semler (man)
Edited by: David Brenner (man), Peter S. Elliot (man)
Music by: Harald Kloser (man), Thomas Wander (man)
Production design by: Barry Chusid (man)
Costumes by: Shay Cunliffe (woman)
Cast by: Susan Taylor Brouse (woman), April Webster (woman), Judy Lee (woman)