Passes the Bechdel test
Contagion
2011. Directed by Steven Soderbergh, written by Scott Z. Burns.
The Bechdel test
Bechdel score
3 / 3
Passes
-
Yes
1. At least two women
28 women characters. 11 of them speak. -
Yes
2. Who talk to each other
In 1 scene out of 162. -
Yes
3. About something besides a man
In that scene, our script parser found no man named. See the scene.
Second opinion
Agree bechdeltest.com readers give it 3 out of 3.
The film
Soon after her return from a business trip to Hong Kong, Beth Emhoff dies from what is a flu or some other type of infection. Her young son dies later the same day. Her husband Mitch however seems immune. Thus begins the spread of a deadly infection. For doctors and administrators at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, several days pass before anyone realizes the extent or gravity of this new infection. They must first identify the type of virus in question and then find a means of combating it, a process that will likely take several months. As the contagion spreads to millions of people worldwide, societal order begins to break down as people panic.
- Released
- 09 Sep 2011
- Genres
- Drama, Thriller
- Rated
- PG-13
- IMDb
- 6.8 / 10
- Metascore
- 70 / 100
- Awards
- 2 wins & 14 nominations total
- Elsewhere
- View on IMDb
Starring, by lines spoken
- Women
- Men
- Not in the cast list
- Bigger name, more lines
- Cheever 105 lines, man
- Emhoff 81 lines, man
- Krumwiede 63 lines, man
- Orantes 48 lines, woman
- Mears 38 lines, woman
- Leopold 34 lines, man
- Aubrey 29 lines, woman
- Hextall 22 lines, woman
- Beth 21 lines, woman
- Haggerty 20 lines, man
Full cast, 145 people
- Marion Cotillard as Leonora Orantes
- Matt Damon as Mitch Emhoff
- Laurence Fishburne as Ellis Cheever
- Jude Law as Alan Krumwiede
- Kate Winslet as Erin Mears
- Jennifer Ehle as Ally Hextall
- Gwyneth Paltrow as Beth Emhoff
- Bryan Cranston as Lyle Haggerty
- Elliott Gould as Ian Sussman
- Chin Han as Sun Feng
- John Hawkes as Roger
- Anna Jacoby-Heron as Jory Emhoff
- Sanaa Lathan as Aubrey Cheever
- Demetri Martin as David Eisenberg
- Armin Rohde as Damian Leopold
- Enrico Colantoni as Dennis French
- Larry Clarke as Dave
- Monique Gabriela Curnen as Lorraine Vasquez
- Daria Strokous as Irina
- Rick Uecker as Minnesota Health
- Jamie Newell as Siphon Woman (uncredited)
- Griffin Kane as Clark Morrow
- Rebecca Spence as Jon Neal's Wife
- Yoshiaki Kobayashi as Japanese Bus Man
- Teri McEvoy as School Nurse
- Sue Redman as ER Nurse #1
- Teri Campbell as ER Nurse #2
- Stef Tovar as Dr. Arrington
- Mary Jo Faraci as Social Worker
- Grace Rex as Carrie Anne
- Joseph Anthony Foronda as WHO Official
- Annabel Armour as Beth's Mother
- Jim Ortlieb as Funeral Director
- Kara Zediker as Elizabeth Nygaard
- Laura Fisher as Sick Lady
- Mary Beth Dolan as Nun
- Dan Flannery as Hextall's Father
- Jason Babinsky as Shivering Man
- Howie Johnson as Morgue Worker
- Sanjay Gupta as Sanjay Gupta
- Chui Tien-you as Li Fai
- Josie Ho as Li Fai's Sister
- Steven Soderbergh as John Neal (voice, uncredited)
- Phillip James Brannon as Paramedic
- David Lively as Minnesota Medical Examiner
- Andrew White as Assistant Medical Examiner
- Ira Blumen as Helpful Doctor
- Scott Stangland as Minnesota Health #1
- Jimmy Chung as Minnesota Health #2
- Tara Mallen as Minnesota Health #4
- John Hines as AIMM Employee #1
- Joshua Weinstein as AIMM Employee #2
- Sarah Charipar as AIMM Employee #3
- Mark Czoske as AIMM Employee #4
- Dan Aho as Aaron Barnes
- Hee-Wan Kwon as Japanese Official
- Phil Tang as Village Man #1
- Robert Chi as Village Man #2
- Blair Robertson as Sussman's Assistant
- Randy Lowell as Hedge Fund Man in Park
- Pete Sack as TV Anchor
- Brian J. O'Donnell as Andrew
- Kwok-Wah Wong as Chinese Health Official #1
- Raymond Tsang Chau-Ming as Chinese Health Official #2
- Josh Pollock as Coughing Man
- Peter A Kelly as National Guardsman
- Thomas Gebbia as Man with Megaphone
- Dan Sanders-Joyce as Home Invasion Thug
- Joshua Seiden as Anthony
- Jim Anderson as Police Officer (uncredited)
- Bambadjan Bamba as Dread (uncredited)
- Rodolfo C Barrios as Sick Guy (uncredited)
- Bryan Basil as Senate Staffer (uncredited)
- Raphael Bonacchi as Police Officer (uncredited)
- Ahmed Boulane as Doctor Haddad (uncredited)
- Liz Clare as Vaccine Recipient (uncredited)
- Rashida Clendening as Interviewee (uncredited)
- David Cohen as News Reporter (uncredited)
- James Anthony Cotton as Tough Guy (uncredited)
- Duke Czlonka as National Guard Sergeant (uncredited)
- Andrew Dasz as Airport Passager (uncredited)
- Joe DeBartolo as Food Drop Recipient (uncredited)
- Eduardo Ambriz DeColosio as Interviewee (uncredited)
- Amanda Dyar as Vaccinated Citizen (uncredited)
- Ryan Ebert as Sick Person (uncredited)
- Shannon Edwards as Michael Giannes - Minnesota Health Department (uncredited)
- Anas El Baz as Ahraf (uncredited)
- Olivia Francessca as Nurse (uncredited)
- Logan Fry as Washington D.C. Lobbyist (uncredited)
- Kenley Gaffke as Vaccine Patient (uncredited)
- Christian Heep as Reporter (uncredited)
- Alex Hill III as Press Room Reporter (uncredited)
- John Hoogenakker as Rafik's Lawyer (uncredited)
- Matt Iwinski as Photographer (uncredited)
- Sarah Kliban as Interviewee (uncredited)
- Iris Kohl as Reporter (uncredited)
- Suzanne Lang as ER Nurse (uncredited)
- Elester Latham as Doctor (uncredited)
- Ina Lereine as Pedestrian (uncredited)
- Seth Leslie as Stage Performer (uncredited)
- Josiah Lyricq as Protestor (uncredited)
- Mino Mackic as Airport Businessman (uncredited)
- Carl Marino as Pharmacy Fighter (uncredited)
- Mary Lu Marr as Physician (uncredited)
- James Mastel as FBI Agent (uncredited)
- Timothy W. Mather as Print Journalist (uncredited)
- Thomas McCormick as Photographer (uncredited)
- Dave McNulty as Doctor in Lobby (uncredited)
- E. Roger Mitchell as Driver (uncredited)
- Paul D. Morgan as Hazmat Doctor (uncredited)
- Jesse Muick as Vaccine Recipient (uncredited)
- Larry Nazimek as CDC Employee (uncredited)
- Andrew Nitzke as Epidemic Victim (uncredited)
- Matthew Parry-Jones as Sick Child (uncredited)
- Eric Pierson as Driver (uncredited)
- Steven Potts as Sick Man (uncredited)
- Steven James Price as Lt. Col Ginsberg (uncredited)
- Kyle Quesnoy as Redhead Interviewee (uncredited)
- Brandi Quinn as Sickly Victim (uncredited)
- Kenya Robertson as Waitress (uncredited)
- Joshua Rollins as Reporter (uncredited)
- Sandy Rouge as Medical Staff (uncredited)
- Helen Sadler as Polish Maid (uncredited)
- Peggy Sandow as Sick Woman (uncredited)
- Jane Santos as Survivor (uncredited)
- Hester Schell as Epidemic Victim (uncredited)
- Jon Komp Shin as On Air News Reporter San Francisco (uncredited)
- Walt Sloan as Hospital Physician (uncredited)
- Ylian Alfaro Snyder as Sick Citizen (uncredited)
- Joshua Squire as Vaccine Patient (uncredited)
- January Stern as Congress Woman (uncredited)
- Michael T Stewart as Citizen (uncredited)
- Thomas W. Stewart as Doctor (uncredited)
- Audra Todd as CDC Employee (uncredited)
- Giota Trakas as Reporter (uncredited)
- Ken Venzke as On Air Reporter San Francisco Channel 7 (uncredited)
- Abby Wait as Girl In Cafe (uncredited)
- Amr Waked as Rafik (uncredited)
- James D. Weston II as FBI Agent (uncredited)
- Roger Wiggins as CDC Employee (uncredited)
- Robert A. Young as Capital Police (uncredited)
- Bobby Watson as Dying Man (uncredited)
- Jeff Mosley as Doctor (uncredited)
- Wong Kam-Tong as Chef
- Jennifer Lee as Infected Patient (uncredited)
Who talks, scene by scene
Lines of dialogue in every 4 scenes, start to finish. Women above the line, men below. 16% of lines come from characters we couldn't match to the cast list and aren't shown.
Women
Men
Scene 1 Scene 162
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 | 3 | 0 |
| 5 to 8 | 3 | 1 |
| 9 to 12 | 2 | 6 |
| 13 to 16 | 6 | 4 |
| 17 to 20 | 2 | 1 |
| 21 to 24 | 5 | 10 |
| 25 to 28 | 3 | 8 |
| 29 to 32 | 3 | 3 |
| 33 to 36 | 8 | 8 |
| 37 to 40 | 3 | 5 |
| 41 to 44 | 18 | 22 |
| 45 to 48 | 11 | 8 |
| 49 to 52 | 8 | 5 |
| 53 to 56 | 6 | 11 |
| 57 to 60 | 9 | 16 |
| 61 to 64 | 6 | 13 |
| 65 to 68 | 9 | 22 |
| 69 to 72 | 10 | 9 |
| 73 to 76 | 6 | 26 |
| 77 to 80 | 0 | 9 |
| 81 to 84 | 1 | 14 |
| 85 to 88 | 11 | 6 |
| 89 to 92 | 6 | 26 |
| 93 to 96 | 6 | 12 |
| 97 to 100 | 10 | 14 |
| 101 to 104 | 17 | 8 |
| 105 to 108 | 1 | 13 |
| 109 to 112 | 4 | 10 |
| 113 to 116 | 4 | 12 |
| 117 to 120 | 12 | 21 |
| 121 to 124 | 16 | 31 |
| 125 to 128 | 6 | 7 |
| 129 to 132 | 8 | 20 |
| 133 to 136 | 11 | 16 |
| 137 to 140 | 7 | 20 |
| 141 to 144 | 2 | 39 |
| 145 to 148 | 8 | 15 |
| 149 to 152 | 7 | 2 |
| 153 to 156 | 6 | 10 |
| 157 to 160 | 0 | 3 |
| 161 to 162 | 1 | 7 |
The evidence
- Straight from the script
- Counted from the script and the credits
Tap an exhibit to open it.
Exhibit A: the passing scene
The scene our parser counted as passing, word for word.
SWANSON: Dr. Mears, Dr. Cheever called again. We're just having a very hard time with the logistics of evacuating you. Finding a plane and all-- MEARS: There's nothing we can do anyway, might as well do it here as in Atlanta. SWANSON: I did get your phone. Dr. Cheever asked that you call if you feel up to it. MEARS: I'm having word finding problems. Sensitive to light. Same things Emhoff reported.
Exhibit B: every 100 lines
Out of every 100 lines with a known speaker, 35 are women's.
265 lines from women, 493 from men.
- Women
- Men
Exhibit C: who's in it
28 women and 64 men in the cast. 11 women and 33 men from it get lines.
Characters
With lines
- Women
- Men
Exhibit D: who gets heard
The first woman speaks at line 2 of 903.
The longest stretch with no woman speaking runs 51 lines.
Every line of dialogue, first to last
- First line by a woman
- Longest stretch with no woman speaking
Words spoken
Women speak 31% of the words (3,270), men 69% (7,406). Women have 35% 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
3
Two men
37
Exhibit F: behind the camera
5 of the 14 people in these jobs are women.
Across the whole crew, 36% of the people whose gender is listed are women.
- Directed by
- Steven Soderbergh (man)
- Written by
- Scott Z. Burns (man)
- Produced by
- Gregory Jacobs (man), Michael Shamberg (man), Stacey Sher (woman)
- Shot by
- Steven Soderbergh (man)
- Edited by
- Stephen Mirrione (man)
- Music by
- Cliff Martinez (man)
- Production design by
- Howard Cummings (man)
- Costumes by
- Louise Frogley (woman)
- Cast by
- Claire Simon (woman), Madalena Chan (gender not listed), Nina Henninger (woman), Carmen Cuba (woman)
The crew, department by department
-
Production
10 women, 16 men, 18 not listed
-
Costume & Make-Up
13 women, 3 men, 18 not listed
-
Art
4 women, 10 men, 16 not listed
-
Other crew
8 women, 5 men, 14 not listed
-
Camera
1 women, 7 men, 11 not listed
-
Sound
2 women, 10 men, 5 not listed
-
Directing
1 women, 8 men, 5 not listed
-
Lighting
0 women, 3 men, 9 not listed
- Women
- Men
- Gender not listed on TMDB
Exhibit G: how old the stars were
Women: 37 on average. Men: 50 on average.
The top-billed cast, at the film's release.
Women
Marion Cotillard 35, Kate Winslet 35, Gwyneth Paltrow 38, Jennifer Ehle 41
Men
Jude Law 38, Matt Damon 40, Chin Han 41, Laurence Fishburne 50, Bryan Cranston 55, Elliott Gould 73
Exhibit H: the money
It made 2.3 times what it cost.
- Budget
- $60 million
- Box office
- $138 million
From TMDB, not adjusted for inflation.
About this analysis
Our parser read the script: 162 scenes and 903 lines of dialogue. The bechdeltest.com rating comes from that site’s readers. How the test works
