Movie review
December 25, 2020 · 118 min · PG-13
Woke Score
Lower is better
Review
News of the World is a 2020 Western drama in which a Civil War veteran travels across post-war Texas reading newspapers and agrees to escort a young girl raised by the Kiowa people back to her white relatives. The story follows their dangerous journey and growing bond amid frontier hardships. Historical racial tensions and cultural displacement appear as period-appropriate backdrop elements in the narrative.
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for News of the World.
Woke representation / casting
Casting fits historical Western setting and story premise with no forced diversity or signaling.
Woke political dialogue
Occasional historical propaganda and division references stay within era-appropriate context.
Identity-driven story themes
Girl’s cultural ties to Kiowa form part of the personal journey but do not drive activist messaging.
Western institutional / cultural critique
Period racism and tensions shown factually without modern activist reframing of whiteness, patriarchy, or systemic oppression.
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant
Production
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
No woke complaints or backlash present.
Creator track record context
Director’s history of political films on division provides mild supporting context.
