Fails the Bechdel test

Invictus

Name: Invictus
Released: 2009

2009. Directed by Clint Eastwood, written by Anthony Peckham and John Carlin.

The Bechdel test

Bechdel score

1 / 3

Fails

Yes 1. At least two women
10 women characters. 4 of them speak.
No 2. Who talk to each other
Our parser found no scene where two women talk to each other.
No 3. About something besides a man
Not reached: the film fails an earlier rule.

Second opinion

Agree bechdeltest.com readers give it 1 out of 3.

The film

This movie tells the inspiring true story of how Nelson Mandela (Morgan Freeman) joined forces with the Captain of South Africa's rugby team, Francois Pienaar (Matt Damon) to help unite their country. Newly-elected President Mandela knows his nation remains racially and economically divided in the wake of Apartheid. Believing he can bring his people together through the universal language of sport, Mandela rallies South Africa's rugby team as they make their run to the 1995 Rugby World Cup Championship match.

Released: 11 Dec 2009
Genres: Biography, Drama, History
Rated: PG-13
IMDb: 7.3 / 10
Metascore: 74 / 100
Awards: Nominated for 2 Oscars. 12 wins & 38 nominations total
Elsewhere: View on IMDb

Starring, by lines spoken

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

Mandela 178 lines, man
Pienaar 83 lines, man
Jason 67 lines, man
Linga 41 lines, man
Hendrick 37 lines, man
Barbara 35 lines
Etienne 25 lines, man
Nerine 19 lines, woman
Coach 14 lines
Mary 14 lines, woman

Full cast, 184 people

Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela
Matt Damon as Francois Pienaar
Tony Kgoroge as Jason Tshabalala
Patrick Mofokeng as Linga Moonsamy
Matt Stern as Hendrick Booyens
Julian Lewis Jones as Etienne Feyder
Adjoa Andoh as Brenda Mazibuko
Marguerite Wheatley as Nerine
Leleti Khumalo as Mary
Patrick Lyster as Mr. Pienaar
Penny Downie as Mrs. Pienaar
Sibongile Nojila as Eunice
Bonnie Mbuli as Zindzi
Shakes Myeko as Minister of Sport
Louis Minnaar as Springbok Coach
Danny Keogh as Rugby President
Dan Robbertse as Boer
Robin Smith as Johan De Villiers
David Dukas as Captain of 747
Grant Swanby as Co-Captain of 747
Josias Moleele as Face Painter
Langley Kirkwood as Presidential Guard
Robert Hobbs as Presidential Guard
Melusi Yeni as Presidential Guard
Vuyo Dabula as Presidential Guard
Daniel Hadebe as Presidential Guard
Jodi Botha as High School Boy
Hennie Bosman as High School Coach
Refiloe Mpakanyane as Jessie
Jakkie Groenewald as Johannesburg Cop
Murray Todd as Johannesburg Cop
Japan Mthembu as Local Cop
Albert Maritz as Springbok Manager
Sello Motloung as Mandela's Doctor
Meren Reddy as Minister of the Environment
Lida Botha as Mrs. Brits
Susan Danford as Mrs. Cole
Sylvia Mngxekeza as Mrs. Dlamini
James Lithgow as New Zealand PM
Malusi Skenjana as NSC Firebrand
Bart Fouche as Prison Guard
Johnny Cicco as Staff Member
Wayne Harrison as Staff Member
Ashley Taylor as Team Crew
Gift Leotlela as Team Crew
Kgosi Mongake as Sipho
Given Stuurman as Township Kid
Vuyolwethu Stevens as Township Kid
Ayabulela Stevens as Township Kid
Nambitha Mpumlwana as Trophy Wife
André Jacobs as T.V. Announcer
J.R. Redelinghuys as Helicopter Pilot
Grant Roberts as South African Springbok
Scott Eastwood as South African Springbok
Mark Bowen Davies as South African Springbok
Dale Stephen Dunn as South African Springbok
Graham Lindemann as South African Springbok
Louis Ackerman as South African Springbok
Andries Le Grange as South African Springbok
Thomas Boyd as South African Springbok
Clive Richard Samuel as South African Springbok
Richard Abrahamse as South African Springbok
Sean Pypers as South African Springbok
Herman Botha as South African Springbok
Riaan Wolmarans as South African Springbok
Louis Pieterse as South African Springbok
Ryan Scott as South African Springbok
Daniel Deon Wessels as South African Springbok
Vaughn Thompson as South African Springbok
Charl Engelbrecht as South African Springbok
Rolf Ernst Fitschen as South African Springbok
Richard Morris as South African Springbok
Ryan Olivier as South African Springbok
Warren Edwards as South African Springbok
Andrew Nel as South African Springbok
Rudi Zandberg as South African Springbok
Renzo Puccini as South African Springbok
Abraham Vlok as South African Springbok
Geoff Brown as South African Springbok / Australian Wallaby
McNeil Hendricks as Chester Williams - South African Springbok
John Paul Chapman as New Zealand All Blacks
Sililo Victor Martens as New Zealand All Blacks
Epeli Taione as New Zealand All Blacks
Aukusitino Junior Poluleuligaga as New Zealand All Blacks
Patrick Bell as New Zealand All Blacks
Anton Coosner as New Zealand All Blacks
Simon Peter Blakeley as New Zealand All Blacks
Salman Sarfodien Davids as New Zealand All Blacks / Western Samoa
Warrick Ireland as New Zealand All Blacks
Warren Taylor as New Zealand All Blacks
Karl Bergemann as New Zealand All Blacks
Jean-Pierre Van Zyl as New Zealand All Blacks
Mohammed Ridhaa Damon as New Zealand All Blacks
Mark Snodgrass as New Zealand All Blacks
Theodore Grovers as New Zealand All Blacks
Gordon Johnston as New Zealand All Blacks
Conrad Marais as New Zealand All Blacks
Pieter Engelbrecht as New Zealand All Blacks
Bjorn Steinbach as New Zealand All Blacks
Clinton Prinsloo as New Zealand All Blacks
Yusuf Abrahams as New Zealand All Blacks
Jody Burch as New Zealand All Blacks
Wynand Collins as New Zealand All Blacks
Abu Bakr Davids as New Zealand All Blacks
Emile Olivier as New Zealand All Blacks
Zak Feaunati as Jonah Lomu - New Zealand All Blacks
Anthony Burns as England Rose
Marius Erwee as England Rose
Mfundo Galada as England Rose
Michael van Schalkwyk as England Rose
Dan Visser as England Rose
Jethro Mickleburgh as England Rose
Ryan Williams as England Rose
Gareth Rowe as England Rose
Stuart Calder as England Rose
Johnathan van der Walt as England Rose
Shane Vallender as England Rose
Abbas Hendricks as England Rose
Karlo Aspeling as England Rose
Calvin Kotze as England Rose
Sivuyile Ngesi as England Rose
Joe Probyn as England Rose
Eugene Butterworth as England Rose
Mzikayise Rala as England Rose
Brendon Shields as French Player
Reagan Anderson as French Player
Willem Mouton as French Player
Devan Gericke as French Player
Richard Williams as French Player
Ashley Down as French Player
Clint van Rensburg as French Player
Patrick Holman as French Player
Sarel du Plessis as French Player
Len Berter as French Player
Shawn du Plooy as French Player
Joel Serman as French Player
Elrico Blaauw as French Player
Warren Butler as French Player
Jamie Holtzhausen as French Player
Shaun Harding as French Player
Callan Artus as French Player
Juan Coetzer as French Player
Jake Levin as French Player
Keith Daly as French Player
Shaffiq Nordien as French Player
Richard Smith as French Player / Australian Wallaby
Edward A O'Sullivan as Australian Wallaby
Jaco Pieterse as Australian Wallaby
Michael Ledwidge as Australian Wallaby
Hendrik Franken as Australian Wallaby
William Festers as Australian Wallaby
Henry Temple as Australian Wallaby
Dane Gallery as Australian Wallaby
David John Fourie as Australian Wallaby
Jadeon du Tait as Australian Wallaby
Riaan van der Vyver as Australian Wallaby
Gerhard Gerber as Australian Wallaby
Ross Peacock as Australian Wallaby
Troy Futter as Australian Wallaby
Michael la Grange as Australian Wallaby
Morne Vletter as Australian Wallaby
Andrew Rose as Australian Wallaby
Brandon Hendricks as Western Samoa
Bradley Contereal as Western Samoa
Zuhair Achmat as Western Samoa
Pedro Noronha as Western Samoa
Tahir Achmat as Western Samoa
Faseegh Mallick as Western Samoa
Mario Jacobs as Western Samoa
Kurt Kuhn as Western Samoa
Mark Katzen as Western Samoa
Adenaan Bazier as Western Samoa
Brendell Brandt as Western Samoa
Stewart Palmer as Western Samoa
Ryan Roman as Western Samoa
Hyron Thyse as Western Samoa
Abu-Bakr Hendricks as Western Samoa
Gerard Pedersen as Western Samoa
Nezaan Bewee as Western Samoa
Niklaas Soutman as Western Samoa
Don Eiman as Western Samoa
Taariq Davids as Western Samoa
Mark Rickard as Announcer (voice)(uncredited)
Jessica Rotter as Mexican Photographer (uncredited)

Who talks, scene by scene

Lines of dialogue in every 6 scenes, start to finish. Women above the line, men below. 14% of lines come from characters we couldn't match to the cast list and aren't shown.

Women

Men

Scene 1 Scene 252

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 6	0	0
7 to 12	0	8
13 to 18	0	10
19 to 24	0	33
25 to 30	0	23
31 to 36	0	37
37 to 42	0	15
43 to 48	6	7
49 to 54	0	4
55 to 60	0	16
61 to 66	0	18
67 to 72	0	7
73 to 78	4	23
79 to 84	3	26
85 to 90	7	44
91 to 96	6	10
97 to 102	0	27
103 to 108	0	1
109 to 114	0	19
115 to 120	0	7
121 to 126	0	34
127 to 132	0	20
133 to 138	7	7
139 to 144	2	21
145 to 150	1	5
151 to 156	0	3
157 to 162	2	2
163 to 168	0	0
169 to 174	2	8
175 to 180	0	12
181 to 186	0	16
187 to 192	2	5
193 to 198	0	11
199 to 204	0	4
205 to 210	1	1
211 to 216	0	9
217 to 222	0	0
223 to 228	0	2
229 to 234	0	7
235 to 240	0	6
241 to 246	0	7
247 to 252	0	3

The evidence

Straight from the script
Counted from the script and the credits

Tap an exhibit to open it.

Exhibit A: every 100 lines

Out of every 100 lines with a known speaker, 8 are women's.

43 lines from women, 518 from men.

Women
Men

Exhibit B: who's in it

10 women and 38 men in the cast. 4 women and 28 men from it get lines.

Characters

With lines

Women
Men

Exhibit C: who gets heard

The first woman speaks at line 147 of 651. The longest stretch with no woman speaking runs 146 lines.

Every line of dialogue, first to last

First line by a woman
Longest stretch with no woman speaking

Words spoken

Women speak 6% of the words (311), men 94% (4,915). Women have 8% of the lines, so their lines run shorter than men's.

Exhibit D: 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 E: behind the camera

3 of the 14 people in these jobs are women. Across the whole crew, 21% of the people whose gender is listed are women.

Directed by: Clint Eastwood (man)
Written by: Anthony Peckham (man)
Produced by: Lori McCreary (woman), Mace Neufeld (man), Clint Eastwood (man), Robert Lorenz (man)
Shot by: Tom Stern (man)
Edited by: Joel Cox (man), Gary D. Roach (man)
Music by: Kyle Eastwood (man), Michael Stevens (gender not listed)
Production design by: James J. Murakami (man)
Costumes by: Deborah Hopper (woman)
Cast by: Fiona Weir (woman)