Movie review
February 1, 2019 · 112 min · R
Woke Score
Lower is better
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Velvet Buzzsaw.
Woke representation / casting
Ensemble features actors of color in visible supporting and mid-tier roles including Zawe Ashton as ambitious gallery assistant Josephina and Daveed Diggs as artist Damrish, plus lead character Morf shown in a sexually fluid relationship. Diversity reads as natural for the modern Los Angeles setting rather than heavily signaled or quota-driven.
Woke political dialogue
Dialogue stays focused on art criticism, personal ambition, and greed with no explicit activist or identity-based speeches. Lead character’s fluid sexuality appears on screen as background detail but receives no ideological framing in the film itself.
Identity-driven story themes
Central premise attacks commercialization of art and loss of authenticity, with only minor background inclusion of a sexually fluid lead character. No race, gender, sexuality, or social-justice plotlines drive the narrative.
Review
Velvet Buzzsaw is a 2019 satirical supernatural horror film set in the Los Angeles contemporary art world. An art critic and gallery insiders discover and aggressively commercialize mysterious paintings by a dead outsider artist, only for a supernatural force to punish their greed and exploitation of art for profit. The core story examines the clash between artistic integrity and money-driven commerce through dark comedy and horror set pieces, with no prominent identity politics or activist messaging visible to viewers.
Western institutional / cultural critique
Satirizes the elite contemporary art market’s obsession with profit and exploitation of artists’ trauma. This follows a classical anti-corporate angle about integrity versus commerce rather than modern activist critiques of systemic power structures.
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant. Fully original screenplay with no established characters, canon, or historical figures altered for identity reasons.
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
No documented anti-woke or right-leaning complaints accusing the film of pushing woke, DEI, or identity-politics messaging. All public discussion stayed on satire quality and horror execution.
Creator track record context
Dan Gilroy’s films repeatedly critique media and industry ethics through a cynical lens, here applied to art commerce; he has publicly described sexuality as fluid. Casting director Victoria Thomas carries a moderate diverse-casting reputation. Pattern stays mild and non-identity-focused overall.
Production
