Passes the Bechdel test

A Man Called Otto

Name: A Man Called Otto
Released: 2023

2023. Directed by Marc Forster, written by Fredrik Backman and Hannes Holm and David Magee.

The Bechdel test

Bechdel score

3 / 3

Passes

Yes 1. At least two women
15 women characters. 10 of them speak.
Yes 2. Who talk to each other
In 4 scenes out of 143.
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 2 out of 3.

The film

Otto Anderson is a grump who no longer sees purpose in his life following the loss of his wife. Otto is ready to end it all, but his final exit plans are interrupted when a lively young family moves in next door, where he meets his match in quick-witted Marisol. She challenges him to see life differently, leading to an unlikely friendship that turns his world around. A heartwarming and funny story about love, loss, and life, A Man Called Otto shows that family can sometimes be found in the most unexpected places.

Released: 13 Jan 2023
Genres: Comedy, Drama
Rated: PG-13
IMDb: 7.5 / 10
Metascore: 51 / 100
Awards: 1 win & 10 nominations total
Elsewhere: View on IMDb

Starring, by lines spoken

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

Otto 349 lines, man
Marisol 131 lines, woman
Sonya 52 lines, woman
Tommy 48 lines, man
Young Otto 40 lines, man
Malcolm 32 lines, man
Jimmy 28 lines, man
Anita 20 lines, woman
Luna 19 lines, woman
Abbie 18 lines, woman

Full cast, 55 people

Tom Hanks as Otto Anderson
Mariana Treviño as Marisol
Cameron Britton as Jimmy
Mack Bayda as Malcolm
Manuel Garcia-Rulfo as Tommy
Juanita Jennings as Anita
Peter Lawson Jones as Reuben
Truman Hanks as Young Otto
Rachel Keller as Sonya
John Higgins as Hardware Store Clerk
Tony Bingham as Hardware Store Customer
Lily Kozub as Hardware Store Taylor
Max Pavel as Andy
Kailey Hyman as Barb
Peter Sipla as Stimco Steel Boss
Patrick Stanny as Stimco Steel Terry
Dominick Marrone as Stimco Steel Co-Worker #1
Allyson R. Hood as Stimco Steel Co-Worker #2
Kristy Nolen as Stimco Steel Worker #3
Carl Clemons as Stimco Steel Worker #4
Connor McCanlus as Stimco Steel Worker #5
Cindy Jackson as Delivery Person
Christiana Montoya as Luna
Alessandra Perez as Abbie
Bodhi Wilson as Child Otto
Ira Amyx as Otto's Father
Greg Allan Martin as Lucas
Jon Osbeck as Army Doctor
Elle Chapman as Sarah, Train Ticketer
Bryant Carroll as Train Conductor '73
Mike Birbiglia as Dye & Merica Real Estate Agent
Julian Manjerico as Beppo The Clown
Jon Donahue as Officer Dudley
Aaron Marcus as Train Station Businessman
Jeff Hochendoner as Burly Train Commuter
Vance Tinsley as Train Commuter #1
Clay Davis as Train Commuter #2
Jared Frenke as Train Commuter #3
James Peyton as Train Commuter #4
Josephine Valentina Clark as Influencer Abbey
Josefine Lindegaard as Influencer Julia
Kathleen Regan as Train Station Commuter #5
Micah Southwood as Train Station Mother
Hunter Southwood as Train Station Child
Spenser Granese as Nick (Driving Lesson Muscle Head)
Emonie Ellison as Young Anita
Lavel Schley as Young Reuben
Kelly Lamor Wilson as Shari Kenzie
David Magee as Dye & Merica Rep '83
William Paul Clark as Dye & Merica Agent #2 '83
Rachel Layne as Dye & Merica Secret Agent
Mark Philip Stevenson as Funeral Minister
Joe Fishel as Doctor (uncredited)
Stephanie Swift as Neighbor at Shower (uncredited)
Tania S. Grant as Train Passenger (uncredited)

Who talks, scene by scene

Lines of dialogue in every 3 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 143

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 3	3	14
4 to 6	3	28
7 to 9	0	6
10 to 12	28	71
13 to 15	1	6
16 to 18	0	1
19 to 21	12	10
22 to 24	0	11
25 to 27	20	29
28 to 30	6	10
31 to 33	7	4
34 to 36	25	20
37 to 39	12	14
40 to 42	9	17
43 to 45	14	28
46 to 48	5	8
49 to 51	3	4
52 to 54	2	5
55 to 57	3	8
58 to 60	8	19
61 to 63	0	0
64 to 66	9	26
67 to 69	13	25
70 to 72	1	5
73 to 75	3	13
76 to 78	14	15
79 to 81	4	4
82 to 84	1	2
85 to 87	1	8
88 to 90	17	32
91 to 93	3	2
94 to 96	0	0
97 to 99	0	0
100 to 102	0	0
103 to 105	2	18
106 to 108	0	9
109 to 111	9	27
112 to 114	0	7
115 to 117	0	5
118 to 120	8	16
121 to 123	8	2
124 to 126	4	5
127 to 129	0	0
130 to 132	0	0
133 to 135	1	2
136 to 138	7	6
139 to 141	1	4
142 to 143	0	4

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.

ABBIE: I’m Abbie, O-t-t-o. LUNA: And I’m Luna.

ABBIE: Hi, “O-t-t-o.” MARISOL: Get in back, girls. MARISOL: There you go, pajarito.

MARISOL: Thank you for driving. MARISOL: Well... bye then. ABBIE: Bye, Abuelo. LUNA: Bye... Abuelo Luchadoro.

ABBIE: We’re having a party. LUNA: Someone has a birthday coming up.

Exhibit B: every 100 lines

Out of every 100 lines with a known speaker, 33 are women's.

267 lines from women, 550 from men.

Women
Men

Exhibit C: who's in it

15 women and 23 men in the cast. 10 women and 12 men from it get lines.

Characters

With lines

Women
Men

Exhibit D: who gets heard

The first woman speaks at line 26 of 869. The longest stretch with no woman speaking runs 44 lines.

Every line of dialogue, first to last

First line by a woman
Longest stretch with no woman speaking

Words spoken

Women speak 30% of the words (2,465), men 70% (5,649). Women have 33% 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

Exhibit F: behind the camera

2 of the 12 people in these jobs are women. Across the whole crew, 23% of the people whose gender is listed are women.

Directed by: Marc Forster (man)
Written by: David Magee (man)
From the novel by: Fredrik Backman (man)
Produced by: Tom Hanks (man), Fredrik Wikström (man), Rita Wilson (woman), Gary Goetzman (man)
Shot by: Matthias Koenigswieser (man)
Edited by: Matt Chessé (man)
Music by: Thomas Newman (man)
Production design by: Barbara Ling (woman)
Costumes by: Frank L. Fleming (man)