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  1. Wokeometer
  2. Movies
  3. Carol
Carol
Box Office
Hit · 3.4x
Budget$11.8M
Worldwide Gross$40.3M
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Carol

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Carol

Carol

movie·R·Jan 15, 2016·
Box OfficeHit · 3.4x
$11.8M
Budget
$40.3M
Gross
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Shop this title

Carol

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Digital video
Amazon — Digital video. Search this format: Carol. Opens in a new tab
DVD & Blu-ray
Amazon — DVD & Blu-ray. Search this format: Carol. Opens in a new tab

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Carol

movie
R
January 15, 2016
Wokeometer Rating
9Woke
Audience Woke Score
No Ratings Yet
Scale: 0 = not woke, 10 = maximally woke

TL;DR Verdict

Carol: Woke 9/10—lesbian romance dominates as a vehicle for anti-patriarchy, homophobia critiques, and queer normalization, sidelining entertainment for ideological preaching. Skip unless you're into activist cinema.

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Detailed Analysis

Carol is a film whose core premise and emotional driver revolve entirely around a lesbian romance between two women in repressive 1950s America, making progressive identity politics the absolute center of its storytelling.

The narrative hinges on their forbidden love clashing with heteronormative marriage norms, homophobic custody battles, and patriarchal control exerted by the husband and society, embedding critiques of traditional gender roles and systemic oppression tied to sexual identity as the primary conflicts. This overt focus on LGBTQ+ representation and barriers faced by queer women intrudes heavily, prioritizing ideological messaging about non-traditional relationships over pure romance or character depth, resulting in a work that feels like a vehicle for normalizing and centering queer narratives at the expense of broader entertainment appeal.

Subtle dismissals of male characters as antagonists further amplify anti-traditional messaging. While executed with stylistic polish, the centrality of these elements transforms the film into a cautionary example of how progressive ideology can dominate and compromise a story's universality, alienating audiences beyond niche activist circles despite critical acclaim.

Methodology: Each score synthesizes audience discourse, critic and aggregator reception, and press coverage — weighed against the work itself, not any single source.

Detailed BreakdownPro

Identity Politics & Racial Essentialism
Gender Ideology & LGBTQ+ Themes
DEI Casting & Representation Mandates
Preachiness & Message-First Agenda
Corporate & Creator Activism

See how this title scores across all 5 woke subcategories with detailed explanations.

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Directed by

  • Todd Haynes

Is Carol Woke?

We've run a full content analysis on Carol and scored it 9/10 on the woke scale. Read our detailed breakdown above to see exactly what we found.

Frequently Asked Questions

What kind of woke content is in Carol?

Our analysis checks for themes like identity politics, race-swapping, gender ideology, environmental activism, anti-religious messaging, and other progressive agenda elements. The score breakdown above shows which specific categories were flagged and how heavily they factor into Carol's overall score.

Is Carol family-friendly?

Wokeometer focuses on ideological content rather than traditional ratings (violence, language, etc.). Carol is rated R. For a full picture, combine our woke analysis with the age rating to decide if it's right for your family.

How does Wokeometer score movies?

We evaluate media across multiple ideological categories on a 0–10 scale. Scores of 0–3 mean story-first, 4–6 have moderate elements, and 7–10 flag heavily agenda-driven content. Learn more about our methodology →

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Top Cast

Cate Blanchett
3.9Based

Cate Blanchett

Carol Aird

Rooney Mara
4Mixed

Rooney Mara

Therese Belivet

Kyle Chandler
2.6Based

Kyle Chandler

Harge Aird

Jake Lacy
4.6Mixed

Jake Lacy

Richard Semco

Sarah Paulson
5.2Mixed

Sarah Paulson

Abby Gerhard

John Magaro
5.2Mixed

John Magaro

Dannie McElroy

Cory Michael Smith
5Mixed

Cory Michael Smith

Tommy Tucker

Kevin Crowley
9Woke

Kevin Crowley

Fred Haymes

Nik Pajic
9Woke

Nik Pajic

Phil McElroy

Carrie Brownstein
9Woke

Carrie Brownstein

Genevieve Cantrell

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