Passes the Bechdel test

Spencer

Name: Spencer
Released: 2021

2021. Directed by Pablo Larraín, written by Steven Knight.

The Bechdel test

Bechdel score

3 / 3

Passes

Yes 1. At least two women
11 women characters. 10 of them speak.
Yes 2. Who talk to each other
In 6 scenes out of 107.
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.

The film

The marriage between Princess Diana and Prince Charles has long since grown cold. Though rumors of affairs and a divorce abound, peace is ordained for the Christmas festivities at the Queen's estate. There's eating and drinking, shooting and hunting. Diana knows the game, but this year, things will be profoundly different.

Released: 05 Nov 2021
Genres: Biography, Drama
Rated: R
IMDb: 6.5 / 10
Metascore: 76 / 100
Awards: Nominated for 1 Oscar. 46 wins & 139 nominations total
Elsewhere: View on IMDb

Starring, by lines spoken

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

Diana 352 lines, woman
Maggie 65 lines, woman
Major Gregory 64 lines, man
William 52 lines, man
Darren 48 lines, man
Charles 35 lines, man
Angela 31 lines, woman
Footman Paul 18 lines, man
Harry 18 lines, man
Maria 12 lines, woman

Full cast, 38 people

Kristen Stewart as Diana
Timothy Spall as Major Alistair Gregorys
Jack Nielen as William
Freddie Spry as Harry
Jack Farthing as Charles
Sean Harris as Darren
Stella Gonet as The Queen
Richard Sammel as Prince Philip
Elizabeth Berrington as Princess Anne
Lore Stefanek as Queen Mother
Amy Manson as Anne Boleyn
Sally Hawkins as Maggie
James Harkness as Footman Paul
Laura Benson as Angela (Dresser)
Wendy Patterson as Maria (Older Maid)
Libby Rodliffe as Pamela (Maid)
John Keogh as Michael (Charles' Valet)
Marianne Graffam as Barbara (Nanny)
Ben Plunkett-Reynolds as Footman Brian
Ryan Wichert as Staff Sergeant Wood
Michael Epp as Lance Corporal Jacobs
Tom Hudson as Police Constable Thomas
James Gerard as Police Constable Field
Thomas Douglas as John Spencer
Ian Ashpitel as Vicar
Emma Darwall Smith as Camilla Parker Bowles
Kimia Schmidt as Diana (9 Years)
Greta Bücker as Diana (Late Teenage Years)
Henry Castello as Charles Spencer (9 Years)
Christin Schreiber as Alter Ego Diana
Camille Moltzen as Boy (Roadhouse Cafe)
Mudassar Dar as KFC Employee
Niklas Kohrt as Prince Andrew
Peter Lee as Church Organist
Olga Hellsing as Sarah Ferguson (uncredited)
Matthias Wolkowski as Prince Edward (uncredited)
Oriana Gordon as Lady Sarah Chatto (uncredited)
Sami Amber as Boy (Roadhouse Cafe) (uncredited)

Who talks, scene by scene

Lines of dialogue in every 3 scenes, start to finish. Women above the line, men below. 4% of lines come from characters we couldn't match to the cast list and aren't shown.

Women

Men

Scene 1 Scene 107

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	1	0
7 to 9	0	2
10 to 12	9	1
13 to 15	22	17
16 to 18	23	20
19 to 21	14	1
22 to 24	99	11
25 to 27	0	5
28 to 30	6	0
31 to 33	29	29
34 to 36	28	35
37 to 39	34	14
40 to 42	7	5
43 to 45	6	8
46 to 48	40	34
49 to 51	18	20
52 to 54	12	19
55 to 57	25	1
58 to 60	0	0
61 to 63	15	7
64 to 66	8	4
67 to 69	0	8
70 to 72	3	0
73 to 75	6	0
76 to 78	49	1
79 to 81	0	2
82 to 84	0	1
85 to 87	0	2
88 to 90	0	0
91 to 93	0	0
94 to 96	14	4
97 to 99	6	5
100 to 102	3	2
103 to 105	4	3
106 to 107	3	1

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.

DIANA: Not strong enough to do it for real. DIANA: I didn’t fucking ask for this. I didn’t ask for her pearls in my fucking soup. I didn’t actually ask for... MARIA: Ma’am, it’s dessert. They are waiting for you.

DIANA: Yes. I’m coming. ANNE BOLEYN: Oh death rock me to sleep... DIANA: ‘Oh death ro ck me to sleep...’ DIANA: ‘Oh death rock me to sleep. Bring me to quiet rest, let pass my weary guiltless ghost out of m y careful breast...’.

MARIA: Dessert is about to be served Ma’am. DIANA: Yes. Souffle d’Abricots. Jus t for me. MARIA: Ma’am, I’ve been told to wait for you. DIANA: That is very kind of you.

DIANA: Tell them I am not well. PAMELA: Ma’am. Please ... DIANA: Tell them I am not at all well!!!

DIANA: Question one. Are you real? MAGGIE: Do y ou fancy a cigarette? MAGGIE: Ouch. DIANA: Sorry.

Exhibit B: every 100 lines

Out of every 100 lines with a known speaker, 65 are women's.

484 lines from women, 263 from men.

Women
Men

Exhibit C: who's in it

11 women and 18 men in the cast. 10 women and 16 men from it get lines.

Characters

With lines

Women
Men

Exhibit D: who gets heard

The first woman speaks at line 4 of 775. The longest stretch with no woman speaking runs 9 lines.

Every line of dialogue, first to last

First line by a woman
Longest stretch with no woman speaking

Words spoken

Women speak 67% of the words (5,075), men 33% (2,501). Women have 65% of the lines, so their lines run longer 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

5 of the 14 people in these jobs are women. Across the whole crew, 39% of the people whose gender is listed are women.

Directed by: Pablo Larraín (man)
Written by: Steven Knight (man)
Produced by: Maren Ade (woman), Pablo Larraín (man), Juan de Dios Larraín (man), Jonas Dornbach (man), Janine Jackowski (woman), Paul Webster (man)
Shot by: Claire Mathon (woman)
Edited by: Sebastián Sepúlveda (man)
Music by: Jonny Greenwood (man)
Production design by: Guy Hendrix Dyas (man)
Costumes by: Jacqueline Durran (woman)
Cast by: Amy Hubbard (woman)