Hidden Figures

     Sometimes, it is not as easy to find a movie where a female’s role is greatly represented. So to address that disputed point, both the Bechdel test and the Mako Mori test were created to serve as a guide for finding quality female portrayal in films. However, the test are not an indicators of feminist movies but rather the role of the women in the film that you are watching. 

To begin, the Bechdel test is to test for the presence of females in a film. The test is named after Alison Bechdel who created the comic strip, Dykes to Watch Out For. In the comic strip, two women talk about seeing a film and one of the women explains that she would only see a film if it meet the criteria. In order for the women to see a film it must include two women, who have at least one conversation about something other than a man. The two women searched and realized that there was not a film that met this criteria. Alison put her comic and in a feminist newspaper and it has caught millions of people’s attention since then. 

Shortly after the Bechdel test, in 2013, the Mako Mori test was created. The creator of the test, Chaila, believed that in certain scenarios the Bechdel test was inadequate for calculating the representation of women in a film. The test was named after character, Mako Mori, in the film Pacific Rim. Similarly, it is a test to find the existence of female eminence in a film. In contemplation of passing the Mako Mori test, a film must meet the following requirements: The film must have at least one female character who has her own narrative arc, which does not exist to support the narrative arc of a male character. 

An great example of both test is the new film, Hidden Figures. In this film, three intelligent African American woman, Katherine, Dorothy and Mary, work as the brains behind the one of the tremendous operations in NASA history: the launch of John Glen. This operation was a remarkable achievement because it turned around the Space Race, brought back confidence within the nation and startled the world. This film meets the criteria of both tests because the three main characters are women, who discuss many plans and mathematical calculations with one another and their narrative arc does not support John Glen, moreso the other way around. 

If I were to create a test similar to the Bechdel and Mako Mori test, I would want my test to have the criteria of having at least one LGBT+ couple or an interracial couple that have their own narrative arc and serve a positive role in the film. This would be my specific criteria because I believe that although interracial and LGBT+ couples are widely supported by many around the world, the idea has not yet made it to the big screens. Nevertheless, when these couples are found in a film, they usually have a negative role or are portrayed negatively. I believe that this would be a great step in showing the great understanding and support of interracial couples and LGBT+ couples around the world. An example movie that meets the criteria for my test is the film, Loving. In this film, a black woman and a white man are the plantiffs in the Supreme court decision Loving v. Virginia.