Passes the Bechdel test

Nightmare Alley

Name: Nightmare Alley
Released: 2021

2021. Directed by Guillermo del Toro, written by Guillermo del Toro and Kim Morgan and William Lindsay Gresham.

The Bechdel test

Bechdel score

3 / 3

Passes

Yes 1. At least two women
14 women characters. 4 of them speak.
Yes 2. Who talk to each other
In 2 scenes out of 162.
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 1 out of 3.

The film

Stan burns down his home and takes a job as a carny with a traveling carnival. Stan is disturbed at how any man could sink to the level of performing as a geek. Clem explains that he seeks out alcoholic or drug-addicted men with troubled pasts, and lures them in with promises of a "temporary" job and opium-laced alcohol. He then uses their dependence until they sink into madness and depravity, thus creating a new geek. Stan also works with clairvoyant act "Madame Zeena" and her alcoholic husband, Pete. He and Zeena warn Stan not to ever use these skills otherwise people get hurt. Meanwhile Stan becomes attracted to fellow performer Molly and approaches her with an idea for a two-person act away from the carnival.

Released: 17 Dec 2021
Genres: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Rated: R
IMDb: 7 / 10
Metascore: 70 / 100
Awards: Nominated for 4 Oscars. 30 wins & 122 nominations total
Elsewhere: View on IMDb

Starring, by lines spoken

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

Stan 397 lines, man
Lilith 113 lines, woman
Molly 113 lines, woman
Zeena 56 lines, woman
Clem 52 lines, man
Ezra Grindle 47 lines, man
Pete 45 lines, man
Bruno 22 lines, man
The Major 18 lines, man
Carny Boss 16 lines, man

Full cast, 54 people

Bradley Cooper as Stanton Carlisle
Cate Blanchett as Dr. Lilith Ritter
Toni Collette as Zeena the Seer
Willem Dafoe as Clem Hoatley
Richard Jenkins as Ezra Grindle
Rooney Mara as Molly Cahill
Ron Perlman as Bruno
Mary Steenburgen as Mrs. Kimball
David Strathairn as Pete
Mark Povinelli as The Major
Peter MacNeill as Judge Kimball
Holt McCallany as Anderson
Paul Anderson as Geek #1
Lara Jean Chorostecki as Louise Hoatley
Jim Beaver as Sheriff Jedediah Judd
Clifton Collins Jr. as Funhouse Jack
Tim Blake Nelson as Carny Boss
David Hewlett as Dr. Elrood
Sarah Mennell as Abigail
Mike Hill as Dogboy Jojo
Caleb Ellsworth-Clark as Drunk #1
Dian Bachar as Fee Fee the Birdgirl
Troy James as The Snake Man
Matthew MacCallum as Human Skeleton
Samantha Rodes as Zizi the Pinhead
Jesse Buck as Geek #2
Perry Mucci as Hotel Manager
Bill MacDonald as Stanton’s Dad
Dan Lett as Deputy #1
Catherine McGregor as Copa Woman
Martin Julien as Bus Station Shaving Man
Natalie Brown as Lilith’s Receptionist
Daniel Falk as Patron #1
Tim Post as Armed Guard #1
Will Conlon as Armed Guard #2
Stephen McHattie as Hobo #1
James Collins as Train Yard Man
Lili Connor as Woman in Floral Dress
Danny Waugh as Piano Player
Walter Rinaldi as Drunk
Andrew Locke as Train Worker
Calvin Desautels as Policeman
Derrick Moore as Stagehand
Linden Porco as Brofo the Small
Grant Bradley as Deputy #2
Dani Klupsch as Geek Pit Patron
Vikki Ring as Geek Pit Patron
Vanessa Botbyl as Geek Pit Patron
Michael Bridgeman as Geek Pit Patron
Charles Langille as Geek Pit Patron
Paul Taylor as Geek Pit Patron
Clyde Whitham as Geek Pit Patron
Romina Power as Party Guest (uncredited)
Keith Lukowski as Security Guard (uncredited)

Who talks, scene by scene

Lines of dialogue in every 4 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 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	0	0
5 to 8	2	5
9 to 12	0	11
13 to 16	0	15
17 to 20	0	9
21 to 24	7	9
25 to 28	12	15
29 to 32	3	4
33 to 36	14	3
37 to 40	11	42
41 to 44	2	10
45 to 48	12	38
49 to 52	12	20
53 to 56	0	21
57 to 60	0	10
61 to 64	2	4
65 to 68	0	5
69 to 72	6	41
73 to 76	8	10
77 to 80	5	2
81 to 84	25	38
85 to 88	12	22
89 to 92	33	31
93 to 96	36	39
97 to 100	21	24
101 to 104	15	17
105 to 108	0	50
109 to 112	3	6
113 to 116	2	2
117 to 120	2	6
121 to 124	0	22
125 to 128	10	23
129 to 132	7	9
133 to 136	11	11
137 to 140	0	5
141 to 144	0	20
145 to 148	7	14
149 to 152	2	5
153 to 156	16	12
157 to 160	0	4
161 to 162	0	22

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.

MOLLY: I’ll go. ZEENA: Wait, I’m getting a letter- yes it’s an “A”. PALE WOMAN: That’s me! ZEENA: Abigail- is that your name, dear?

LILITH: Charles wanted my opinion before engaging you... MOLLY: We don’t do private consultations.

Exhibit B: every 100 lines

Out of every 100 lines with a known speaker, 31 are women's.

298 lines from women, 656 from men.

Women
Men

Exhibit C: who's in it

14 women and 39 men in the cast. 4 women and 16 men from it get lines.

Characters

With lines

Women
Men

Exhibit D: who gets heard

The first woman speaks at line 10 of 972. The longest stretch with no woman speaking runs 52 lines.

Every line of dialogue, first to last

First line by a woman
Longest stretch with no woman speaking

Words spoken

Women speak 28% of the words (2,868), men 72% (7,268). Women have 31% 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

3 of the 13 people in these jobs are women. Across the whole crew, 33% of the people whose gender is listed are women.

Directed by: Guillermo del Toro (man)
Written by: Kim Morgan (woman), Guillermo del Toro (man)
From the novel by: William Lindsay Gresham (man)
Produced by: Bradley Cooper (man), J. Miles Dale (man), Guillermo del Toro (man)
Shot by: Dan Laustsen (man)
Edited by: Cam McLauchlin (gender not listed)
Music by: Nathan Johnson (man)
Production design by: Tamara Deverell (woman)
Costumes by: Luis Sequeira (man)
Cast by: Robin D. Cook (woman)