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Film data fromTMDB

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  1. Wokeometer
  2. Movies
  3. Shortbus
Shortbus
Box Office
Break-even · 2.8x
Budget$2M
Worldwide Gross$5.6M
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Shortbus

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Shortbus

Shortbus

movie·NR·Oct 4, 2006·
Box OfficeBreak-even · 2.8x
$2M
Budget
$5.6M
Gross
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Shop this title

Shortbus

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

movie
NR
October 4, 2006
Wokeometer Rating
7Woke
0/10
Audience Woke Score
No Ratings Yet
Scale: 0 = not woke, 10 = maximally woke

TL;DR Verdict

Shortbus weaponizes unsimulated sex scenes and polyamory to push sex-positivity as an explicit rebuke to conservatism, making progressive messaging the entire point rather than the plot. Skip it if you want story over ideology—classic 7/10 woke.

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Detailed Analysis

Shortbus centers its narrative on an ensemble of New Yorkers navigating sexual dysfunction, open relationships, and polyamory at an underground salon that mixes art, music, politics, and unsimulated sex.

The plot is propelled by a gay couple deciding to open their relationship, a sex therapist pursuing her first orgasm through multiple encounters, and group scenes that display penetration, ejaculation, and autofellatio. These explicit elements function as the primary engine for character arcs rather than incidental background, establishing sexual exploration across orientations as the film's core premise. The director's stated goal of reclaiming sex for cinema by challenging Bush-era conservatism and advancing sex-positivity makes the progressive framing foundational to the project.

This thematic centrality turns the unsimulated gay, straight, and group scenes into an overt artistic statement against repression, with queer characters and open-relationship dynamics placed at the heart of the ensemble. The result is an ideological intrusion that prioritizes messaging over entertainment value and narrative restraint.

Key Factors

  • Prominent unsimulated gay, straight, and group sex scenes as artistic statement against sexual repression
  • Gay couple's open-relationship exploration and queer characters as core ensemble focus
  • Director John Cameron Mitchell's stated intent to reclaim sex for cinema, challenge Bush-era conservatism, and promote sex-positivity and connection across orientations

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

  • John Cameron Mitchell

Is Shortbus Woke?

We've run a full content analysis on Shortbus and scored it 7/10 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 Shortbus?

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 Shortbus's overall score.

Is Shortbus family-friendly?

Wokeometer focuses on ideological content rather than traditional ratings (violence, language, etc.). Shortbus is rated NR. 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

Sook-Yin Lee
7Woke

Sook-Yin Lee

Sofia

Paul Dawson
7Woke

Paul Dawson

James

PJ DeBoy
7Woke

PJ DeBoy

Jamie

Lindsay Beamish
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Lindsay Beamish

Severin

Jay Brannan
7Woke

Jay Brannan

Ceth

Raphael Barker
7Woke

Raphael Barker

Rob

Adam Hardman
7Woke

Adam Hardman

Jesse

Peter Stickles
7Woke

Peter Stickles

Caleb

A
7Woke

Alan Mandell

Tobias, the Mayor

Stephen Kent Jusick
7Woke

Stephen Kent Jusick

Creamy

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