Passes the Bechdel test
The Killing of a Sacred Deer
2017. Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, written by Yorgos Lanthimos and Efthimis Filippou.
The Bechdel test
Bechdel score
3 / 3
Passes
-
Yes
1. At least two women
8 women characters. 2 of them speak. -
Yes
2. Who talk to each other
In 2 scenes out of 114. -
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
Following the untimely death of his father on the operating table, 16-year-old Martin forms an unexpected bond with Dr Steven Murphy, a respected cardiothoracic surgeon. However, vague yet unsettling feelings overshadow the orphaned teenager's intentions. And then, everything unravels when merciless punishment hits too close to home. Now, innocents must suffer. As the sins of the father weigh heavily on the entire family, only an unbearable decision can purge the soul--one that demands pure sacrifice. But to find catharsis, one must first admit the sin.
- Released
- 03 Nov 2017
- Genres
- Drama, Horror, Mystery
- Rated
- R
- IMDb
- 7 / 10
- Metascore
- 73 / 100
- Awards
- 7 wins & 53 nominations total
- Elsewhere
- View on IMDb
Starring, by lines spoken
- Women
- Men
- Not in the cast list
- Bigger name, more lines
- Steven 247 lines, man
- Anna 138 lines, woman
- Martin 130 lines, man
- Kim 78 lines, woman
- Bob 50 lines, man
- Matthew 34 lines, man
- Martin’S Mother 18 lines, woman
- Headmaster 13 lines, man
- Dr. Nichols 11 lines, man
- Hospital Director 5 lines
Full cast, 29 people
- Colin Farrell as Steven Murphy
- Nicole Kidman as Anna Murphy
- Barry Keoghan as Martin Lang
- Raffey Cassidy as Kim Murphy
- Sunny Suljic as Bob Murphy
- Bill Camp as Matthew Williams
- Alicia Silverstone as Martin's Mother
- Herb Caillouet as Ed Thompson (Hospital Director)
- Barry G. Bernson as Dr. Larry Banks
- Denise Dal Vera as Mary Williams
- Drew Logan as Principal
- Michael Trester as Elderly Man
- Anita Farmer Bergman as Nurse (uncredited)
- Lea Hutton Beasmore as Conference Guest (uncredited)
- Dylan Keith Adams as Doctor at Conference and Event Dinner (uncredited)
- Charles Poole as Patient / Fisherman (uncredited)
- John W. Harden as Conference Guest / Paramedic (uncredited)
- Bryant Bentley as Paramedic (uncredited)
- Aaron Pullins IV as Medical Conference Attendee (uncredited)
- Joanne Popolin as Medical Conference Attendee (uncredited)
- Carly Tamborski as Doctor at Conference (uncredited)
- David Pittinger as Student's Dad (uncredited)
- Michael Lee Bailey as Conference Guest (uncredited)
- John Newsom as Doctor at Banquet (uncredited)
- Robert Gerding as Visiting Consultant (uncredited)
- William C. Ingram as Janitor (uncredited)
- Beverly Kristy as Doctor (uncredited)
- Derek Polen as Conference Guest (uncredited)
- John E. Brownlee as Coastal Walker (uncredited)
Who talks, scene by scene
Lines of dialogue in every 3 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 114
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 | 14 |
| 4 to 6 | 0 | 34 |
| 7 to 9 | 12 | 14 |
| 10 to 12 | 6 | 32 |
| 13 to 15 | 7 | 29 |
| 16 to 18 | 11 | 33 |
| 19 to 21 | 7 | 15 |
| 22 to 24 | 0 | 11 |
| 25 to 27 | 18 | 31 |
| 28 to 30 | 0 | 19 |
| 31 to 33 | 11 | 22 |
| 34 to 36 | 9 | 8 |
| 37 to 39 | 0 | 12 |
| 40 to 42 | 4 | 7 |
| 43 to 45 | 14 | 7 |
| 46 to 48 | 6 | 40 |
| 49 to 51 | 8 | 12 |
| 52 to 54 | 10 | 11 |
| 55 to 57 | 0 | 0 |
| 58 to 60 | 4 | 12 |
| 61 to 63 | 1 | 1 |
| 64 to 66 | 12 | 13 |
| 67 to 69 | 0 | 0 |
| 70 to 72 | 35 | 9 |
| 73 to 75 | 6 | 6 |
| 76 to 78 | 3 | 2 |
| 79 to 81 | 6 | 7 |
| 82 to 84 | 8 | 11 |
| 85 to 87 | 2 | 14 |
| 88 to 90 | 7 | 10 |
| 91 to 93 | 0 | 8 |
| 94 to 96 | 0 | 21 |
| 97 to 99 | 7 | 5 |
| 100 to 102 | 0 | 0 |
| 103 to 105 | 2 | 4 |
| 106 to 108 | 13 | 4 |
| 109 to 111 | 1 | 9 |
| 112 to 114 | 4 | 5 |
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.
KIM: You’re welcome. ANNA: We’ve got to go.
KIM: “Good evening. Anna Murphy Eye Clinic, how may I help you?” ANNA: “Good evening. I’d like to make an appointment.” KIM: “When for?” ANNA: “Certainly. Of course. When would you like to come in?”
Exhibit B: every 100 lines
Out of every 100 lines with a known speaker, 32 are women's.
234 lines from women, 492 from men.
- Women
- Men
Exhibit C: who's in it
8 women and 14 men in the cast. 2 women and 5 men from it get lines.
Characters
With lines
- Women
- Men
Exhibit D: who gets heard
The first woman speaks at line 49 of 733.
The longest stretch with no woman speaking runs 48 lines.
Every line of dialogue, first to last
- First line by a woman
- Longest stretch with no woman speaking
Words spoken
Women speak 29% of the words (3,107), men 71% (7,602). Women have 32% 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
7
Two men
40
Exhibit F: behind the camera
3 of the 10 people in these jobs are women.
Across the whole crew, 35% of the people whose gender is listed are women.
- Directed by
- Yorgos Lanthimos (man)
- Written by
- Yorgos Lanthimos (man), Efthimis Filippou (man)
- Produced by
- Ed Guiney (man), Yorgos Lanthimos (man)
- Shot by
- Thimios Bakatakis (man)
- Edited by
- Yorgos Mavropsaridis (man)
- Production design by
- Jade Healy (woman)
- Costumes by
- Nancy Steiner (woman)
- Cast by
- D. Lynn Meyers (woman)
The crew, department by department
-
Production
8 women, 12 men, 2 not listed
-
Sound
1 women, 5 men, 11 not listed
-
Costume & Make-Up
5 women, 1 men, 5 not listed
-
Editing
0 women, 1 men, 7 not listed
-
Art
2 women, 5 men
-
Camera
0 women, 5 men, 2 not listed
-
Other crew
2 women, 1 men, 2 not listed
-
Directing
1 women, 2 men, 1 not listed
- Women
- Men
- Gender not listed on TMDB
Exhibit G: how old the stars were
Women: 40 on average. Men: 40 on average.
The top-billed cast, at the film's release.
Women
Raffey Cassidy 15, Alicia Silverstone 41, Nicole Kidman 50, Denise Dal Vera 55
Men
Sunny Suljic 12, Barry Keoghan 25, Colin Farrell 41, Bill Camp 52, Barry G. Bernson 72
Exhibit H: the money
It made 3.6 times what it cost.
- Budget
- $3 million
- Box office
- $10.7 million
From TMDB, not adjusted for inflation.
About this analysis
Our parser read the script: 114 scenes and 733 lines of dialogue. The bechdeltest.com rating comes from that site’s readers. How the test works
