Passes the Bechdel test

Spotlight

Name: Spotlight
Released: 2015

2015. Directed by Tom McCarthy, written by Josh Singer and Tom McCarthy.

The Bechdel test

Bechdel score

3 / 3

Passes

Yes 1. At least two women
25 women characters. 20 of them speak.
Yes 2. Who talk to each other
In 1 scene out of 180.
Yes 3. About something besides a man
In that scene, our script parser found no man named. See the scene.

Second opinion

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

The film

When the Boston Globe's tenacious "Spotlight" team of reporters delves into allegations of abuse in the Catholic Church, their year-long investigation uncovers a decades-long cover-up at the highest levels of Boston's religious, legal, and government establishment, touching off a wave of revelations around the world.

Released: 20 Nov 2015
Genres: Biography, Crime, Drama
Rated: R
IMDb: 8.1 / 10
Metascore: 93 / 100
Awards: Won 2 Oscars. 124 wins & 146 nominations total
Elsewhere: View on IMDb

Starring, by lines spoken

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

Mike 261 lines, man
Robby 257 lines, man
Sacha 137 lines, woman
Ben 110 lines, man
Marty 89 lines, man
Matt 77 lines, man
Garabedian 65 lines, man
Jim 34 lines, man
Eric Macleish 31 lines, man
Joe Crowley 28 lines, man

Full cast, 81 people

Mark Ruffalo as Michael Rezendes
Michael Keaton as Walter 'Robby' Robinson
Rachel McAdams as Sacha Pfeiffer
Liev Schreiber as Marty Baron
John Slattery as Ben Bradlee, Jr.
Brian d'Arcy James as Matt Carroll
Stanley Tucci as Mitchell Garabedian
Elena Wohl as Barbara
Gene Amoroso as Steve Kurkjian
Doug Murray as Peter Canellos
Sharon McFarlane as Helen Donovan
Jamey Sheridan as Jim Sullivan
Neal Huff as Phil Saviano
Billy Crudup as Eric Macleish
Robert B. Kennedy as Court Clerk Mark
Duane Murray as Hansi Kalkofen
Brian Chamberlain as Paul Burke
Michael Cyril Creighton as Joe Crowley
Paul Guilfoyle as Peter Conley
Michael Countryman as Richard Gilman
Tim Whalen as Young Cop
Martin Roach as Cop in Coffee Shop
Brad Borbridge as Sports Editor
Don Allison as Bishop
Patty Ross as Linda
Paloma Nuñez as Garabedian's Receptionist
Robert Clarke as Judge Volterra
Gary Galone as Jack Dunn
David Fraser as Jon Albano
Paulette Sinclair as Receptionist at Judge's Chambers
Laurie Heineman as Judge Sweeney
Elena Juatco as Guest List Woman
Nancy Villone as Maryetta Dussourd
Wendy Merry as Female Editor
Siobhan Murphy as Intern
Eileen Padua as Sacha's Grandmother
Darrin Baker as Middle Age Priest at St. Peter's
Brett Cramp as Middle Aged Man
Joe Stapleton as Older Cop
Maureen Keiller as Eileen McNamara
Jimmy LeBlanc as Patrick McSorley
Tim Progosh as Principal Bill Kemeza
Neion George as Waiter at Gala
Laurie Murdoch as Wilson Rogers
Zarrin Darnell-Martin as Intern Wanda
Krista Morin as Young Reporter
Paula Barrett as Jim's Wife
Mairtin O'Carrigan as Stewart
Rob deLeeuw as Herald Reporter Quimby
Nancy E. Carroll as Jane Paquin
Anthony Paolucci as Kevin
Michele Proude as Lisa Tuite
Richard O'Rourke as Ronald Paquin
Len Cariou as Cardinal Law
Dennis Lynch as Clerk O'Brian
Stefanie Drummond as Sheila
Mark McGrinder as Weeping Man
Richard Fitzpatrick as Rectory Priest
Tom Driscoll as Disgruntled Man
Jeffrey Samai as Library Security
Moira Driscoll as Woman Interviewee
Forrest Weber as Angry Man
Doreen Spencer as Older Southie Woman
Janet Pinnick as Receptionist
Shannon McDonough as Receptionist
Shannon Ruth as Girl at Garabedian's
Daniel Ruth as Boy at Garabedian's
Jennifer Ruth as Mother at Garabedian's
Timothy Mooney as Bad Priest
Bruce-Robert Serafin as Boston Globe Security Guard
Donna Sue Jahier as Angry Man's Sister
Edward Brickley as Red Sox Announcer (voice)
Richard Jenkins as Richard Sipe (voice) (uncredited)
Elena Khan as Boston Reporter (uncredited)
Teresa Wilson as Maureen (uncredited)
Amy Whalen as Pedestrian (uncredited)
John Franchi as Pedestrian (uncredited)
Peter Lewis Walsh as Red Sox Fan (uncredited)
Lance Norris as Driver (uncredited)
Harold Rudolph as Lawyer (uncredited)
Colleen Kelly as Librarian (uncredited)

Who talks, scene by scene

Lines of dialogue in every 4 scenes, start to finish. Women above the line, men below. 1% of lines come from characters we couldn't match to the cast list and aren't shown.

Women

Men

Scene 1 Scene 180

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	20
5 to 8	7	34
9 to 12	2	42
13 to 16	4	60
17 to 20	10	16
21 to 24	1	17
25 to 28	4	19
29 to 32	8	42
33 to 36	0	53
37 to 40	4	6
41 to 44	0	20
45 to 48	0	16
49 to 52	7	54
53 to 56	11	35
57 to 60	6	24
61 to 64	12	24
65 to 68	5	36
69 to 72	4	32
73 to 76	12	47
77 to 80	4	57
81 to 84	0	31
85 to 88	0	0
89 to 92	0	1
93 to 96	9	17
97 to 100	4	66
101 to 104	4	10
105 to 108	20	20
109 to 112	7	41
113 to 116	0	9
117 to 120	6	26
121 to 124	5	18
125 to 128	5	6
129 to 132	0	18
133 to 136	6	22
137 to 140	0	12
141 to 144	0	4
145 to 148	0	4
149 to 152	7	47
153 to 156	0	45
157 to 160	3	14
161 to 164	4	57
165 to 168	2	6
169 to 172	0	5
173 to 176	4	6
177 to 180	3	11

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.

SACHA: Joe? JOE CROWLEY SACHA: Shoot. Sorry. No, that’s okay, no problem.

Exhibit B: every 100 lines

Out of every 100 lines with a known speaker, 14 are women's.

190 lines from women, 1150 from men.

Women
Men

Exhibit C: who's in it

25 women and 42 men in the cast. 20 women and 40 men from it get lines.

Characters

With lines

Women
Men

Exhibit D: who gets heard

The first woman speaks at line 28 of 1,354. The longest stretch with no woman speaking runs 62 lines.

Every line of dialogue, first to last

First line by a woman
Longest stretch with no woman speaking

Words spoken

Women speak 12% of the words (1,711), men 88% (12,137). Women have 14% 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

105

Exhibit F: behind the camera

3 of the 16 people in these jobs are women. Across the whole crew, 31% of the people whose gender is listed are women.

Directed by: Tom McCarthy (man)
Written by: Josh Singer (man), Tom McCarthy (man)
Produced by: Nicole Rocklin (woman), Michael Sugar (man), Blye Pagon Faust (woman), Steve Golin (man)
Shot by: Masanobu Takayanagi (man)
Edited by: Tom McArdle (man)
Music by: Howard Shore (man)
Production design by: Stephen H. Carter (man)
Costumes by: Wendy Chuck (woman)
Cast by: Paul Schnee (man), John Buchan (man), Kerry Barden (man), Jason Knight (man)