Is They/Them woke?
Movie · 2022
They/Them has a wokeness score of 9/10, which we rate as Activist / Didactic. The story exists mainly to deliver a woke ideological lecture. Themes are heavy-handed, preachy, and feel forced or unnatural. Entertainment value is secondary, and viewers frequently feel lectured or alienated.
Key points
- Explicitly queer/trans cast with straight counselors as villains in conversion therapy critique.
- Title and plot weaponize pronouns, misgendering as horror trope for identity affirmation.
- Preaches anti-conservative message, prioritizing LGBTQ+ empowerment over slasher thrills.
Wokeness analysis
They/Them (2022) exemplifies activist filmmaking where the core narrative serves as a vehicle for progressive indoctrination against traditional values, particularly targeting conversion therapy and conservative family structures. The plot centers on queer and trans teens at a camp run by Kevin Bacon's character, who initially appears tolerant but reveals sinister psychological manipulation to enforce gender norms and heterosexuality. This setup demonizes straight-coded antagonists as villains while portraying LGBTQ+ campers as unambiguous heroes resisting oppression, complete with non-binary leads like Jordan (Theo Germaine) demanding pronoun respect and trans characters like Alexandra facing misgendering horrors. Reviews describe it as a queer declaration of war on anti-LGBTQ+ society, with cathartic violence against counselors and pro-queer propaganda overshadowing slasher elements. The film preaches identity affirmation, weaponizes pronouns in its title (They/Slash/Them), and integrates heavy-handed scenes of misgendering, forced gender roles, and parental coercion as indictments of non-affirming views. Critics note its preaching-to-the-choir approach fails to scare, prioritizing affirmational messages over entertainment, with plot twists moralizing polite revenge over raw catharsis. Diversity is not organic but central, shoehorning representation to lecture on queer victimhood and resilience, alienating viewers seeking escapism. Even sympathetic reviews lament its identity crisis, where ideology dominates, turning a potential fun slasher into a didactic exercise. This mirrors broader woke trends in media, forcing social commentary that prioritizes marginalized group empowerment over storytelling, leaving audiences lectured rather than thrilled.
Plot
A group of LGBTQ+ teens, including non-binary Jordan and trans Alexandra, arrive at Whistler Camp, a remote conversion therapy program led by affable director Owen Whistler (Kevin Bacon) and staff promising voluntary self-improvement. Tensions rise as campers endure psychologically damaging exercises enforcing gender roles, such as segregated activities and overnight pairings, exposing the camp's true coercive nature. Jordan suspects deeper malice amid parental incentives like emancipation or Broadway tickets. As a masked killer wielding an axe begins slaughtering counselors, the teens band together, uncovering hypocrisies and personal traumas. The slasher elements blend with camp horrors, culminating in revelations about revenge and identity, though the film prioritizes thematic empowerment over sustained suspense.
Analyzed by AI on April 23, 2026