
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire passes the Bechdel Test. Good news. You’re allowed to watch it.
Ever heard of the Bechdel test?
Don’t worry if you haven’t, chances are you’re going to hear about it a lot in coming years.
For those of you that haven’t stumbled across it before, the Bechdel test came about due to a comic strip by cartoonist Alison Bechdel (hence the name), and it lays down three simple rules that decree whether a film is gender-biased or not.
1. Are there two or more female characters with names?
2. Do they have a conversation with each other?
3. Do they talk about anything other than men?
Sounds straightforward enough, but it’s surprising how many of your favourite films will not pass the test. The original Star Wars trilogy, the Lord of the Rings films, and all but one of the Harry Potter films fail. Of course, they aren’t exactly festering with misogyny, but they do not pass the test.