Passes the Bechdel test

A Hidden Life

Name: A Hidden Life
Released: 2019

2019. Directed by Terrence Malick, written by Terrence Malick.

The Bechdel test

Bechdel score

3 / 3

Passes

Yes 1. At least two women
7 women characters. 5 of them speak.
Yes 2. Who talk to each other
In 2 scenes out of 178.
Yes 3. About something besides a man
In those scenes, our script parser found no man named. See the scene.

Second opinion

Not rated bechdeltest.com readers haven't rated this film.

The film

Based on real events, A Hidden Life is the story of an unsung hero, Bl. Franz Jägerstätter, who refused to fight for the Nazis in World War II. When the Austrian peasant farmer is faced with the threat of execution for treason, it is his unwavering faith and his love for his wife, Fani, and children that keeps his spirit alive.

Released: 11 Dec 2019
Genres: Biography, Drama, Romance
Rated: PG-13
IMDb: 7.4 / 10
Metascore: 80 / 100
Awards: 8 wins & 27 nominations total
Elsewhere: View on IMDb

Starring, by lines spoken

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

Franz 152 lines, man
Fani 104 lines, woman
Captain Herder 26 lines, man
Rosalia 20 lines, woman
Guard 19 lines
Feldman 12 lines, man
Resie 11 lines, woman
Judge Lueben 10 lines, man
Major Schlegel 10 lines, man
Ohlendorff 8 lines

Full cast, 55 people

August Diehl as Franz Jägerstätter
Valerie Pachner as Fani Jägerstätter
Maria Simon as Resie
Karin Neuhäuser as Rosalia Jägerstätter
Tobias Moretti as Fr Ferdinand Fürthauer
Ulrich Matthes as Lorenz Schwaninger
Matthias Schoenaerts as Captain Herder
Michael Nyqvist as Bishop Joseph Fliessen
Franz Rogowski as Waldland
Karl Markovics as Mayor of St. Radegund
Bruno Ganz as Richter
Wolfgang Michael as Eckinger
Johannes Krisch as Trakl - The Miller
Martin Wuttke as Major Kiel
Johan Leysen as Ohlendorf
Waldemar Kobus as Stein
Sophie Rois as Tante
Alexander Fehling as Fredrich Feldmann
Dimo Alexiev as Nikolai
Max Mauff as Sterz
Nicholas Reinke as Father Moericke
Alexander Radszun as Scharfrichter
Chris Theisinger as Prisoner
Ida Muttschlechner as Rosi Jägerstätter
Ermin Sijamija as Ermin
Thomas Mraz as Prosecutor Lars
Sarah Born as The Girl
Robin Oberhollenzer as Admirer of Resie
Max Malatesta as Max
Johannes Nussbaum as Josef
Joel Basman as Military Trainee
Maria Weger as Maridl Jägerstätter
Aennie Lade as Loisi Jägerstätter
Mark Waschke as Spitz
Felix Römer as Policeman
Andro Sarishvili as Andro
Maria Stadler as Witwe Maria
Levan Khurtsia as Levan
Markus Schwärzer as Linz Sergeant
Ulrich Brandhoff as Captain Jürgen
Michael Steinocher as Officer Kersting
Leo Baumgartner as Toni Strohhofer
Oliver Pezzi as Fitz
Dieter Kosslick as Richter Walter Musshoff
Bernd Hölscher as Judge Ranft
Christian Sengenwald as Fr. Kreutzberg
Moritz Katzmair as Martin
Amber Shave as Young Rosi Jägerstätter
Barbara Stampfl as Young Maridl Jägerstätter
Johannes Gabl as Hessler
Katja Lechthaler as Frau Pate
Monika Lennartz as Frau Schuster
Horst Saller as Enns Officer
Jürgen Prochnow as Major Schlegel
Leonard Kunz as Scharfrichter's Assistant

Who talks, scene by scene

Lines of dialogue in every 4 scenes, start to finish. Women above the line, men below. 13% of lines come from characters we couldn't match to the cast list and aren't shown.

Women

Men

Scene 1 Scene 178

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 4	1	1
5 to 8	4	3
9 to 12	6	2
13 to 16	2	3
17 to 20	0	3
21 to 24	2	5
25 to 28	0	4
29 to 32	2	3
33 to 36	0	1
37 to 40	0	5
41 to 44	5	3
45 to 48	1	3
49 to 52	1	6
53 to 56	2	1
57 to 60	0	3
61 to 64	10	5
65 to 68	5	8
69 to 72	12	11
73 to 76	1	2
77 to 80	2	10
81 to 84	0	5
85 to 88	0	15
89 to 92	2	12
93 to 96	14	0
97 to 100	9	0
101 to 104	5	1
105 to 108	7	5
109 to 112	7	7
113 to 116	0	27
117 to 120	6	0
121 to 124	7	1
125 to 128	0	8
129 to 132	7	8
133 to 136	3	2
137 to 140	2	29
141 to 144	0	23
145 to 148	4	1
149 to 152	1	4
153 to 156	1	0
157 to 160	5	12
161 to 164	2	16
165 to 168	0	2
169 to 172	1	9
173 to 176	2	1
177 to 178	4	0

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.

FANI: Just for training. A transportation unit. RESIE: Are you afraid?

ROSALIA: Now they know. FANI: Who? ROSALIA: The others. Everyone. Someone must have told them. Your sister! FANI: She would never say anything.

Exhibit B: every 100 lines

Out of every 100 lines with a known speaker, 35 are women's.

145 lines from women, 270 from men.

Women
Men

Exhibit C: who's in it

7 women and 35 men in the cast. 5 women and 18 men from it get lines.

Characters

With lines

Women
Men

Exhibit D: who gets heard

The first woman speaks at line 3 of 478. The longest stretch with no woman speaking runs 55 lines.

Every line of dialogue, first to last

First line by a woman
Longest stretch with no woman speaking

Words spoken

Women speak 37% of the words (3,911), men 63% (6,729). Women have 35% of the lines, so their lines run longer 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

Exhibit F: behind the camera

2 of the 15 people in these jobs are women. Across the whole crew, 24% of the people whose gender is listed are women.

Directed by: Terrence Malick (man)
Written by: Terrence Malick (man)
Produced by: Elisabeth Bentley (gender not listed), Dario Bergesio (gender not listed), Grant Hill (man), Josh Jeter (gender not listed), Marcus Loges (man)
Shot by: Jörg Widmer (man)
Edited by: Rehman Nizar Ali (gender not listed), Sebastian Jones (man), Joe Gleason (gender not listed)
Music by: James Newton Howard (man)
Production design by: Sebastian T. Krawinkel (man)
Costumes by: Lisy Christl (woman)
Cast by: Anja Dihrberg (woman)