Passes the Bechdel test
Awakenings
1991. Directed by Penny Marshall, written by Oliver Sacks and Steven Zaillian.
The Bechdel test
Bechdel score
3 / 3
Passes
-
Yes
1. At least two women
13 women characters. 14 of them speak. -
Yes
2. Who talk to each other
In 3 scenes out of 214. -
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
1969. Dr. Malcolm Sayer is hired as a clinical physician at a local hospital in the Bronx, despite only having a research background. The job is not ideal on his side as he has difficulties relating to people which is the reason he has focused on research projects not involving human subjects, while the hospital hires him somewhat out of desperation in not finding anyone else with the qualifications who wants the job. Most of his patients are in a semi-catatonic state and are housed in what some of the orderlies coin the "garden" ward, where all they can do for the patients is water and feed them. He notices that some of the patients, despite their generally catatonic state, respond in unusual ways to certain stimuli. In doing some research, he also finds that some common bonds between these patients are that they suffered from encephalitis in the 1920s or 1930s, and that their physical states are like they have Parkinson's disease frozen in time. As such, he is able to convince, albeit reluctantly, his skeptical boss, Dr. Kaufman, to administer an expensive experimental drug therapy on only one patient with family consent. That patient is forty-one year old Leonard Lowe, who has been in his current state since he was eleven years old, and who has been supported by his loving mother through all these years. As the drug therapy "awakens" Leonard, there are several issues that come into play. Malcolm has to try and convince Kaufman and the hospital administration to extend the therapy to the other patients. Despite not knowing the long term effects, Leonard, who was aware of his surroundings through his catatonic state, may have mixed emotions about his situation, wanting both to be treated as human being and an experiment guinea pig to ensure that what is happening benefits him and others in the long run. Mrs. Lowe may be unprepared for the new Leonard, she expecting who she remembers as a sweet eleven year old boy. Through all these issues, what may be the most illuminating issue for Malcolm is the need to stimulate the human spirit, including his own in dealing with people around him.
- Released
- 11 Jan 1991
- Genres
- Biography, Drama
- Rated
- PG-13
- IMDb
- 7.8 / 10
- Metascore
- 74 / 100
- Awards
- Nominated for 3 Oscars. 6 wins & 11 nominations total
- Elsewhere
- View on IMDb
Starring, by lines spoken
- Women
- Men
- Not in the cast list
- Bigger name, more lines
- Sayer 235 lines, man
- Leonard 142 lines, man
- Mrs. Lowe 42 lines, woman
- Kaufman 33 lines, man
- Miss Costello 30 lines, woman
- Paula 24 lines, woman
- Hector 16 lines, man
- Old Doctor 14 lines
- Anthony 13 lines, man
- Mann 13 lines, man
Full cast, 62 people
- Robert De Niro as Leonard Lowe
- Robin Williams as Malcolm Sayer
- John Heard as Dr. Kaufman
- Julie Kavner as Eleanor Costello
- Penelope Ann Miller as Paula
- Ruth Nelson as Mrs. Lowe
- Max von Sydow as Peter Ingham
- Anne Meara as Miriam
- Dexter Gordon as Rolando
- George Martin as Frank
- Alice Drummond as Lucy Fishman
- Richard Libertini as Sidney
- Laura Esterman as Lolly
- Barton Heyman as Bert
- Judith Malina as Rose
- Mary Alice as Nurse Margaret
- Keith Diamond as Anthony
- Bradley Whitford as Dr. Tyler
- John Christopher Jones as Dr. Sullivan
- Mary Catherine Wright as Nurse Beth
- Jayne Haynes as Frances
- Le Clanché du Rand as Magda
- Yusef Bulos as Joseph
- Steven Randazzo as Luis
- Gloria Harper as Dottie
- Gwyllum Evans as Desmond
- Steve Vinovich as Ray
- Tiger Haynes as Janitor
- Harvey Miller as Hospital Director
- Tanya Berezin as Psychiatrist
- Peter Stormare as Neurochemist
- Shane Fistell as Man in Hall
- Waheedah Ahmad as Hysterical Woman
- Charles Keating as Mr. Kean
- Christina Huertes as Christina
- Linda Burns as Fishsticks
- Judy Jacksina as Hospital Receptionist
- Gary Tacon as George
- Rico Elias as Orderly #1
- Mel Gorham as Nurse Sara
- Chris Carolan as EEG Technician
- Debra Kovner-Zaks as Cafeteria Nurse
- Bret McCormick as Head Ward Orderly
- Gordon Joseph Weiss as Ward #5 Patient
- Byron Utley as Ward #5 Patient #2
- Anthony McGowen as Ward #5 Patient #3
- Paul Montgomery as Ward #5 Patient #4
- Leonard Tepper as Ward #5 Patient #5
- Vincent Pastore as Ward #5 Patient #6
- Howard Feller as Ward #5 Patient #7
- Libby Titus as Club Singer
- Michael Hyde as Bus Driver
- Tomislav Novakovic as Bartender
- Adam Bryant as Librarian
- Anthony J. Nici as Young Leonard
- Oliver Block as Leonard's Friend #1
- Buck Smith as Leonard's Friend #2
- Joan E. MacIntosh as Teacher
- Harry L. Seddon as Medical Student
- Jack Mulcahy as Psych Ward Intern
- Jason W. Fuchs as Pot-Head Hippie
- Vin Diesel as Hospital Orderly (uncredited)
Who talks, scene by scene
Lines of dialogue in every 5 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 214
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 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 to 10 | 2 | 25 |
| 11 to 15 | 4 | 13 |
| 16 to 20 | 3 | 19 |
| 21 to 25 | 0 | 18 |
| 26 to 30 | 4 | 5 |
| 31 to 35 | 0 | 2 |
| 36 to 40 | 0 | 10 |
| 41 to 45 | 8 | 10 |
| 46 to 50 | 4 | 26 |
| 51 to 55 | 3 | 0 |
| 56 to 60 | 0 | 1 |
| 61 to 65 | 4 | 5 |
| 66 to 70 | 0 | 7 |
| 71 to 75 | 0 | 4 |
| 76 to 80 | 0 | 26 |
| 81 to 85 | 5 | 12 |
| 86 to 90 | 2 | 3 |
| 91 to 95 | 1 | 8 |
| 96 to 100 | 3 | 11 |
| 101 to 105 | 1 | 17 |
| 106 to 110 | 0 | 1 |
| 111 to 115 | 0 | 24 |
| 116 to 120 | 0 | 22 |
| 121 to 125 | 11 | 6 |
| 126 to 130 | 5 | 7 |
| 131 to 135 | 18 | 14 |
| 136 to 140 | 17 | 16 |
| 141 to 145 | 0 | 8 |
| 146 to 150 | 12 | 19 |
| 151 to 155 | 1 | 40 |
| 156 to 160 | 5 | 12 |
| 161 to 165 | 0 | 48 |
| 166 to 170 | 0 | 0 |
| 171 to 175 | 0 | 15 |
| 176 to 180 | 0 | 8 |
| 181 to 185 | 10 | 19 |
| 186 to 190 | 16 | 18 |
| 191 to 195 | 4 | 24 |
| 196 to 200 | 0 | 2 |
| 201 to 205 | 3 | 13 |
| 206 to 210 | 0 | 22 |
| 211 to 214 | 2 | 9 |
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.
ROSE: And some dye. Black. MARGARET: Black, are you sure? ROSE: And some clothes . . . my. clothes. ROSE: Who put me in this?
MISS COSTELLO: We'll find them for you. We'll track them down. LUCY: . . . I called to my sister, but she couldn't hear me. No one could hear me. I was alone . . . And then I woke up.
LUCY: What year is it? You don't know? LUCY: ·26. MIRIAM O.S: DoctorI Doctor! . , MIRIAM: I walked all the way over there. And back. What a perfect day.
PAULA O.S: . . . the Mighty Mets stormed their locker room shortly after nine o'clock on their night to remember - PAULA: "Released from bondage and ridicule after seven destitute seasons, they raised the roof of Shea Stadium - while their fans attempted to dism…
ROSE: It's legal again? MISS COSTELLO: For some time now. Rose is delighted; she can hardly believe it. She gets the bartender's attention. - ROSE A Rob Roy on the rocks.
Exhibit B: every 100 lines
Out of every 100 lines with a known speaker, 21 are women's.
148 lines from women, 569 from men.
- Women
- Men
Exhibit C: who's in it
13 women and 32 men in the cast. 14 women and 38 men from it get lines.
Characters
With lines
- Women
- Men
Exhibit D: who gets heard
The first woman speaks at line 4 of 769.
The longest stretch with no woman speaking runs 82 lines.
Every line of dialogue, first to last
- First line by a woman
- Longest stretch with no woman speaking
Words spoken
Women speak 21% of the words (2,160), men 79% (7,991).
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
11
Two men
63
Exhibit F: behind the camera
3 of the 11 people in these jobs are women.
Across the whole crew, 30% of the people whose gender is listed are women.
- Directed by
- Penny Marshall (woman)
- Written by
- Steven Zaillian (man)
- Produced by
- Lawrence Lasker (man), Walter F. Parkes (man)
- Shot by
- Miroslav Ondříček (man)
- Edited by
- Battle Davis (man), Gerald B. Greenberg (man)
- Music by
- Randy Newman (man)
- Production design by
- Anton Furst (man)
- Costumes by
- Cynthia Flynt (woman)
- Cast by
- Bonnie Timmermann (woman)
The crew, department by department
-
Sound
3 women, 10 men, 6 not listed
-
Production
3 women, 6 men, 1 not listed
-
Art
1 women, 7 men, 1 not listed
-
Other crew
3 women, 4 men, 2 not listed
-
Costume & Make-Up
3 women, 2 men, 2 not listed
-
Editing
2 women, 2 men, 3 not listed
-
Directing
1 women, 2 men, 1 not listed
-
Camera
0 women, 2 men, 1 not listed
- Women
- Men
- Gender not listed on TMDB
Exhibit G: how old the stars were
Women: 53 on average. Men: 53 on average.
The top-billed cast, at the film's release.
Women
Penelope Ann Miller 26, Julie Kavner 40, Anne Meara 61, Ruth Nelson 85
Men
Robin Williams 39, John Heard 44, Robert De Niro 47, Max von Sydow 61, George Martin 61, Dexter Gordon 67
Exhibit H: the money
It made 1.7 times what it cost.
- Budget
- $31 million
- Box office
- $52.1 million
From TMDB, not adjusted for inflation.
About this analysis
Our parser read the script: 214 scenes and 769 lines of dialogue. How the test works
