
Movie review
August 21, 2020 · 111 min · PG-13
Woke Score
Lower is better
Review
A 2020 coming-of-age drama follows high school senior Adam as he hides his schizophrenia diagnosis while starting at a new Catholic school and falling for classmate Maya. The narrative centers on his personal struggles with mental illness, medication, family, and first love. Maya refers to prom as an extension of the patriarchy. A scene references bathroom graffiti highlighting hypocrisy in Christian teachings on homosexuality.
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Words on Bathroom Walls.
Woke representation / casting
Casting fits story world without forced diversity or identity signaling
Woke political dialogue
Maya calls prom an extension of the patriarchy
Identity-driven story themes
Story centers on personal mental illness struggle not identity politics
Western institutional / cultural critique
Bathroom graffiti in Catholic school shows “Jesus loves you. Don’t be a homo” with character noting hypocrisy
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Absence of backlash claiming too woke
Creator track record context
No relevant prior work cited
Production