Why film schools teach screenwriters not to pass the Bechdel test
“There was still something wrong with my writing, something unanticipated by my professors. My scripts had multiple women with names. Talking to each other. About something other than men. That, they explained nervously, was not okay.
At first I got several tentative murmurings about how it distracted from the flow or point of the story. I went through this with more than one professor, more than one industry professional. Finally, I got one blessedly telling explanation from an industry pro: ‘The audience doesn’t want to listen to a bunch of women talking about whatever it is women talk about.’
‘Not even if it advances the story?’”
