Passes the Bechdel test
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
2016. Directed by David Yates, written by J.K. Rowling.
The Bechdel test
Bechdel score
3 / 3
Passes
-
Yes
1. At least two women
28 women characters. 10 of them speak. -
Yes
2. Who talk to each other
In 6 scenes out of 125. -
Yes
3. About something besides a man
In those scenes, our script parser found no man named. See the scene.
Second opinion
Agree bechdeltest.com readers give it 3 out of 3, though someone marked that rating as dubious.
The film
New York City, 1926. Newt Scamander, a passionate British magizoologist, arrives in the city carrying a mysterious leather suitcase—home to an extraordinary collection of rare magical creatures. But dark forces stir in the shadows, threatening the fragile peace between the magical and non-magical worlds. When a mix-up causes Newt's precious beasts to escape into the streets of Manhattan, he is thrown into a world of chaos and intrigue. As an unstoppable, destructive entity tears through the city and dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald's threat looms large, the stakes are higher than ever. With his escaping animals on the loose and New York's fate hanging by a thread, can Newt track down his fantastic beasts before all-out war breaks out?
- Released
- 18 Nov 2016
- Genres
- Adventure, Family, Fantasy
- Rated
- PG-13
- IMDb
- 7.2 / 10
- Metascore
- 66 / 100
- Awards
- Won 1 Oscar. 15 wins & 55 nominations total
- Elsewhere
- View on IMDb
Starring, by lines spoken
- Women
- Men
- Not in the cast list
- Bigger name, more lines
- Newt 245 lines, man
- Tina 128 lines, woman
- Jacob 108 lines, man
- Graves 57 lines, man
- Queenie 51 lines, woman
- Madam Picquery 22 lines, woman
- Mary Lou 20 lines, woman
- Credence 17 lines, man
- Langdon 13 lines, man
- Abernathy 11 lines, man
Full cast, 101 people
- Eddie Redmayne as Newt
- Katherine Waterston as Porpentina 'Tina' Goldstein
- Dan Fogler as Jacob Kowalski
- Alison Sudol as Queenie
- Colin Farrell as Graves
- Jon Voight as Shaw Senior
- Ron Perlman as Gnarlak
- Ezra Miller as Credence Barebone
- Samantha Morton as Mary Lou Barebone
- Carmen Ejogo as Seraphina Picquery
- Josh Cowdery as Henry Shaw Jnr / Senator Shaw
- Johnny Depp as Grindelwald
- Ronan Raftery as Langdon Shaw
- Faith Wood-Blagrove as Modesty Barebone
- Jenn Murray as Chastity Barebone
- Gemma Chan as Madame Ya Zou
- Peter Breitmayer as Gilbert Bingley
- Zoë Kravitz as Lestrange
- Kevin Guthrie as Mr. Abernathy
- Sean Cronin as Nearby Criminal
- Sam Redford as Customs Official
- Akin Gazi as Auror
- Todd Boyce as The Announcer
- Anne Wittman as Housewife
- Andreea Păduraru as Auror 9
- Matthew Sim as Photographer 1
- Elizabeth Moynihan as Executioner #1
- Adam Lazarus as Wizard
- Lucie Pohl as Secretary
- Tim Bentinck as Witness
- Bart Edwards as New York Chief of Police
- Brian F. Mulvey as The Watchman
- Tristan Tait as Reporter
- Tom Clarke Hill as Photographer 2
- Cory Peterson as Bank Employee
- Jake Samuels as Bank Guard
- Max Cazier as Young Man
- Dan Hedaya as Red
- Christy Meyer as Guide - Inside Macusa
- Guy Paul as Auror 2
- Walles Hamonde as Auror 10
- Dominique Tipper as Auror 1
- Leo Heller as Boy with Birthmark
- Miles Roughley as Poor Boy
- Erick Hayden as Policeman
- Paul Birchard as Hobo
- Tom Hodgkins as Barker
- Ellie Haddington as Mrs. Esposito
- Joseph Macnab as Police Officer 1
- Martin Oelbermann as Heinrich Eberstadt
- Richard Clothier as British Envoy
- Christian Dixon as Momolou Wotorson
- Richard Hardisty as Auror 4
- Miquel Brown as Executioner #2
- Wunmi Mosaku as Beryl
- Cristian Solimeno as Executioner #3
- Matthew Wilson as Sam the Obliviator
- Aretha Ayeh as Singer - The Blind Pig Speakeasy
- Emmi as Singer - The Blind Pig Speakeasy
- Nicholas McGaughey as Australian Wizard
- Arinzé Kene as Auror 6
- Jane Perry as Bakery Customer
- Abi Adeyemi as International Royal Dignitar (uncredited)
- Alphonso Austin as Boat Crew (uncredited)
- David J Biscoe as Journalist (uncredited)
- Lee Bolton as Photographer (uncredited)
- Neil Broome as Gala Dinner Guest (uncredited)
- Fanny Carbonnel as Mrs. Goldstein (uncredited)
- David Charles-Cully as Gentleman (uncredited)
- Craig Davies as New Yorker (uncredited)
- Chloe de Burgh as Tenement Woman (uncredited)
- Paul Dewdney as New York Journalist (uncredited)
- Rudi Dharmalingam as Ranjit (uncredited)
- Joshua Diffley as Young Husband (uncredited)
- Richard Douglas as Gentleman (uncredited)
- Henry Douthwaite as Skender (uncredited)
- Dino Fazzani as Factory Worker (uncredited)
- Abigayle Honeywill as Criminal (uncredited)
- Attila G. Kerekes as New York Citizen (uncredited)
- Simon Kerrison as High Society Gentleman / Gala Guest (uncredited)
- Dennis Good as Banker Smirnoff (uncredited)
- Alan Mandel as Mr. Goldstein (uncredited)
- Jorge Leon as Spaniard Ship Passenger (uncredited)
- Christine Marzano as Exterminator (uncredited)
- Pete Meads as Factory Worker (uncredited)
- Dennis O'Donnell as Circus Escapologist (uncredited)
- Gino Picciano as Gangster (uncredited)
- Jason Redshaw as Higher Class Gentleman (uncredited)
- Dave Simon as New York Socialite (uncredited)
- Connor Sullivan as Gala Guest (uncredited)
- Dan Trotter as Street Vendor (uncredited)
- Morgan Walters as Watchman (uncredited)
- Anick Wiget as Criminal on 'Wanted' Poster (uncredited)
- Reid Anderson as Auror (uncredited)
- Tineke Ann Robson as Auror (uncredited)
- Cinta Laura Kiehl as Candy Store Girl
- Annarie Boor as New Yorker (uncredited)
- Finley Howard as Poor boy (uncredited)
- Karl Farrer as Banker (uncredited)
- Rich Hardisty as Auror 4
- Nathan Benham as Bank Guard
Who talks, scene by scene
Lines of dialogue in every 3 scenes, start to finish. Women above the line, men below. 2% of lines come from characters we couldn't match to the cast list and aren't shown.
Women
Men
Scene 1 Scene 125
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 | 0 | 1 |
| 4 to 6 | 0 | 22 |
| 7 to 9 | 10 | 19 |
| 10 to 12 | 0 | 13 |
| 13 to 15 | 0 | 3 |
| 16 to 18 | 13 | 30 |
| 19 to 21 | 7 | 4 |
| 22 to 24 | 11 | 2 |
| 25 to 27 | 6 | 15 |
| 28 to 30 | 1 | 0 |
| 31 to 33 | 7 | 7 |
| 34 to 36 | 17 | 15 |
| 37 to 39 | 2 | 26 |
| 40 to 42 | 27 | 4 |
| 43 to 45 | 7 | 12 |
| 46 to 48 | 2 | 86 |
| 49 to 51 | 1 | 26 |
| 52 to 54 | 1 | 3 |
| 55 to 57 | 0 | 22 |
| 58 to 60 | 0 | 3 |
| 61 to 63 | 20 | 15 |
| 64 to 66 | 1 | 21 |
| 67 to 69 | 11 | 6 |
| 70 to 72 | 5 | 0 |
| 73 to 75 | 3 | 7 |
| 76 to 78 | 3 | 2 |
| 79 to 81 | 13 | 21 |
| 82 to 84 | 9 | 29 |
| 85 to 87 | 3 | 1 |
| 88 to 90 | 5 | 1 |
| 91 to 93 | 14 | 31 |
| 94 to 96 | 0 | 7 |
| 97 to 99 | 0 | 18 |
| 100 to 102 | 9 | 10 |
| 103 to 105 | 1 | 1 |
| 106 to 108 | 0 | 1 |
| 109 to 111 | 0 | 5 |
| 112 to 114 | 0 | 2 |
| 115 to 117 | 13 | 17 |
| 118 to 120 | 5 | 2 |
| 121 to 123 | 12 | 20 |
| 124 to 125 | 1 | 3 |
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.
MODESTY: Witch number three, gonna watch her burn, Witch number four, flogging take a turn. MARY LOU: Collect your leaflets before you get food, children.
MODESTY: ... my momma, your momma, flying on a switch, My momma, your momma, witches never cry, My momma, your momma witches gonna die! MODESTY: Witch number one, drown in a river! Witch number two, MODESTY: gotta noose to give her! Witch number three... CHASTITY: Hand out your leaflets! I'll know if you dump 'em. Tell me if you see anything suspicious.
TINA: Well, I love it! QUEENIE: Get in!
MODESTY: Give it back, Credence. It's just a toy! MARY LOU: What is this?
MARY LOU: I am not your ma! Your mother was a wicked, unnatural woman! MODESTY: It was mine. MARY LOU: Modesty- MARY LOU: What is this?
Exhibit B: every 100 lines
Out of every 100 lines with a known speaker, 31 are women's.
240 lines from women, 533 from men.
- Women
- Men
Exhibit C: who's in it
28 women and 57 men in the cast. 10 women and 28 men from it get lines.
Characters
With lines
- Women
- Men
Exhibit D: who gets heard
The first woman speaks at line 28 of 790.
The longest stretch with no woman speaking runs 85 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 (2,202), men 69% (4,794).
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
14
Two men
43
Exhibit F: behind the camera
4 of the 12 people in these jobs are women.
Across the whole crew, 28% of the people whose gender is listed are women.
- Directed by
- David Yates (man)
- Written by
- J.K. Rowling (woman)
- Produced by
- David Heyman (man), J.K. Rowling (woman), Lionel Wigram (man), Steve Kloves (man)
- Shot by
- Philippe Rousselot (man)
- Edited by
- Mark Day (man)
- Music by
- James Newton Howard (man)
- Production design by
- Stuart Craig (man)
- Costumes by
- Colleen Atwood (woman)
- Cast by
- Fiona Weir (woman)
The crew, department by department
-
Visual Effects
3 women, 13 men, 12 not listed
-
Other crew
8 women, 11 men, 6 not listed
-
Sound
3 women, 18 men, 3 not listed
-
Costume & Make-Up
6 women, 0 men, 16 not listed
-
Art
3 women, 10 men, 7 not listed
-
Production
4 women, 9 men, 7 not listed
-
Camera
0 women, 8 men, 2 not listed
-
Directing
2 women, 4 men, 2 not listed
- Women
- Men
- Gender not listed on TMDB
Exhibit G: how old the stars were
Women: 37 on average. Men: 51 on average.
The top-billed cast, at the film's release.
Women
Alison Sudol 31, Katherine Waterston 36, Samantha Morton 39, Carmen Ejogo 43
Men
Eddie Redmayne 34, Dan Fogler 40, Colin Farrell 40, Ron Perlman 66, Jon Voight 77
Exhibit H: the money
It made 4.5 times what it cost.
- Budget
- $180 million
- Box office
- $809 million
From TMDB, not adjusted for inflation.
About this analysis
Our parser read the script: 125 scenes and 790 lines of dialogue. The bechdeltest.com rating comes from that site’s readers. How the test works
