From beginning to end the film revolves around Eilis and the other women around her. It passes the test, I dunno, 50 times over? Male characters in fact have such an aleatory role that I'm uncertain if the film even passes the reverse Bechdel (would have to watch it again, paying attention).

@Andrea passes reverse bechdel. during the dinner scene, the brothers have a back-and-forth about irish people in the city, much to the dad's chargein.

It's a coming of age/immigrant story that centers around a woman. That's a big deal. For once, men are small player's in a woman's tale. What's more, it's a beautiful, moving film that will leave you breathless and vibrant. See it.

It passes the test, but still her main concern during most of the movie is which husband she is going to choose.

I agree with Matt. Although characters who are women talk about stuff other than men, a significant theme of the film is that Eilis only gets over her homesickness and starts "coming alive" because of a man, and she specifically credits her change to a man--despite the fact that she's also excelling in her job, after an initial struggle, and in her college classes. Every single other one of Eilis' female peers are explicitly shown to be looking for men, and the only characteristic granted to Eilis' best friend in Ireland is that she's hoping to gain the attention of a specific man.

The women who enable the film to pass the Bechdel test are mostly all older (widowed or otherwise single) women past childbearing age. So the film suggests that young women can't do other than the about or focus on men, and the older women who don't are presented as aging and uninteresting to/uninterested in men.

The film demonstrates some great acting and lovely scene-setting, but really has only one well-rounded female character; all others relate to her only as props or obstacles. Although the film passes the Bechdel test, it offers only broad, flat depictions of the majority of the women characters, and reinforces the old narrative of husband-hunting women who are transformed by the men in their lives.

While the film displays

I have to agree with Matt and Heather. While the film does pass the test it also portrays the majority of the female characters as dishonest, misguided, love hungry fools. This is while the two main male characters (Eilis' love interests) are shown as honest, hardworking, loving and moral. Not very elevating.