Fails the Bechdel test

8MM

Name: 8MM
Released: 1999

1999. Directed by Joel Schumacher, written by Andrew Kevin Walker.

The Bechdel test

Bechdel score

1 / 3

Fails

Yes 1. At least two women
29 women characters. 5 of them speak.
No 2. Who talk to each other
Our parser found no scene where two women talk to each other.
No 3. About something besides a man
Not reached: the film fails an earlier rule.

Second opinion

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

The film

A small, seemingly innocuous plastic reel of film leads surveillance specialist Tom Welles down an increasingly dark and frightening path. With the help of the streetwise Max, Welles relentlessly follows a bizarre trail of evidence to determine the fate of a complete stranger. As his work turns into obsession, he drifts farther and farther away from his wife, family and simple life as a small-town private eye.

Released: 26 Feb 1999
Genres: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Rated: R
IMDb: 6.6 / 10
Metascore: 21 / 100
Awards: 2 wins & 2 nominations total
Elsewhere: View on IMDb

Starring, by lines spoken

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

Welles 361 lines, man
Eddie 69 lines, man
Max 64 lines, man
Dino Velvet 55 lines, man
Mrs Christian 47 lines, woman
Mrs Mathews 44 lines, woman
Amy 42 lines, woman
Longdale 32 lines, man
Mary 22 lines, woman
Director 15 lines, man

Full cast, 53 people

Nicolas Cage as Tom Welles
Joaquin Phoenix as Max California
James Gandolfini as Eddie Poole
Peter Stormare as Dino Velvet
Anthony Heald as Longdale
Chris Bauer as Machine
Catherine Keener as Amy Welles
Myra Carter as Mrs. Christian
Amy Morton as Mrs. Mathews
Norman Reedus as Warren Anderson
Jenny Powell as Mary Ann Mathews
Anne Gee Byrd as Senator
Jack Betts as Butler
Luis Oropeza as Archive Director
Rachel Singer as Neighbor
Don Creech as Mr. Anderson
Fran Bennett as Nun
Wilma Bonet as Nun
Luis Saguar as Manny
Walter K. Jordan as Thug
Norm Compton as Thug
Brian Keith Russell as Thug
John Robb as Porn Dealer
Devan Brown as Flea Market Woman
Doris Brent as Machine's Mother
Robert Amico as Casting Director
Kiva Dawson as Girl in Hall
Eva Minemar as Girl in Hall
Rachel Wolfe as Girl in Hall
Suzy Nakamura as Computer Wizard
Torsten Voges as Stick
Tahitia Dean as Hollywood Prostitute
Texas Terri as Dino's Redhead
Vernon Guichard II as Porn Guy
Emily Patrick as Porn Girl
Nancy Vee as Porno Make-Up Artist
Lisa Cintrice as Topless Ticket Taker
Bridgett Vera as Ticket Taker
Jennifer Harris as Strip Club Dancer
Burton Richards as Strip Club Dancer
Jovanna Vitiello as Strip Club Dancer
David U. Hodges as Surveillance Man
William Lawrence Mack as Bouncer
Lorena M. Santos as Prostitute
Connie Mercurio as Nurse
William Buck as Mr. Christian
Kerry Corcoran as Cheating Son-in-Law
Mario Ernesto Sánchez as Taxi Driver
Claudia Aros as Miami Girlfriend
Ava Lee Scott as Girl in Lot (uncredited)
Carla Moon as Girl in Jacuzzi (uncredited)
Deborah Smith Ford as Dancer (uncredited)
Jacklyn Lick as Video Girl (uncredited)

Who talks, scene by scene

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

Women

Men

Scene 1 Scene 283

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	7
7 to 12	1	0
13 to 18	8	15
19 to 24	3	4
25 to 30	31	30
31 to 36	3	4
37 to 42	0	1
43 to 48	1	28
49 to 54	1	4
55 to 60	0	4
61 to 66	5	8
67 to 72	28	25
73 to 78	3	4
79 to 84	1	0
85 to 90	5	0
91 to 96	6	0
97 to 102	8	0
103 to 108	2	23
109 to 114	0	32
115 to 120	1	36
121 to 126	19	15
127 to 132	0	1
133 to 138	0	2
139 to 144	0	4
145 to 150	0	33
151 to 156	0	0
157 to 162	6	23
163 to 168	0	21
169 to 174	0	55
175 to 180	0	69
181 to 186	0	61
187 to 192	2	1
193 to 198	2	3
199 to 204	19	24
205 to 210	0	0
211 to 216	0	4
217 to 222	0	34
223 to 228	0	12
229 to 234	9	33
235 to 240	0	0
241 to 246	0	1
247 to 252	0	5
253 to 258	0	0
259 to 264	0	0
265 to 270	1	1
271 to 276	1	1
277 to 282	0	1
283 to 283	1	2

The evidence

Straight from the script
Counted from the script and the credits

Tap an exhibit to open it.

Exhibit A: every 100 lines

Out of every 100 lines with a known speaker, 21 are women's.

167 lines from women, 631 from men.

Women
Men

Exhibit B: who's in it

29 women and 23 men in the cast. 5 women and 11 men from it get lines.

Characters

With lines

Women
Men

Exhibit C: who gets heard

The first woman speaks at line 8 of 849. The longest stretch with no woman speaking runs 214 lines.

Every line of dialogue, first to last

First line by a woman
Longest stretch with no woman speaking

Words spoken

Women speak 24% of the words (2,480), men 76% (7,995). Women have 21% of the lines, so their lines run longer than men's.

Exhibit D: 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

Exhibit E: behind the camera

3 of the 11 people in these jobs are women. Across the whole crew, 18% of the people whose gender is listed are women.

Directed by: Joel Schumacher (man)
Written by: Andrew Kevin Walker (man)
Produced by: Joel Schumacher (man), Judy Hofflund (woman), Gavin Polone (man)
Shot by: Robert Elswit (man)
Edited by: Mark Stevens (man)
Music by: Mychael Danna (man)
Production design by: Gary Wissner (man)
Costumes by: Mona May (woman)
Cast by: Mali Finn (woman)