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The Ritual
Movie

The Ritual

2025 • Drama, Horror, Thriller

Woke Score
2
out of 10

Plot

Two priests, one in crisis with his faith and the other confronting a turbulent past, must overcome their differences to perform a risky exorcism.

Overall Series Review

The Ritual (2025) is an exorcism thriller based on a real-life case from 1928, focusing on the spiritual conflict between two priests: the experienced Father Riesinger with unwavering faith, and the young Father Steiger, a skeptic experiencing a crisis of faith after a personal tragedy. The narrative is structurally classic, following a series of attempts to cast a demon out of a young woman, Emma Schmidt. The film strongly promotes a transcendent morality, ultimately validating traditional faith and the Catholic Church's compassion as the only defense against objective evil. The doubting, science-leaning priest is forced to confront a reality that cannot be explained by secular means. The core conflict and resolution are fundamentally anti-anti-theist. The film does include a notable element of forced diversity with the presence of non-hidden black nuns in a 1928 Midwestern convent, which stands out as a historical anachronism in an otherwise traditionally structured period piece.

Categorical Breakdown

Identity Politics4/10

The casting includes a deliberate, historically inauthentic insertion of 'sisters of color' into a 1928 Midwestern Catholic convent, a decision noted by some critics as overtly 'woke' for ignoring the social reality of the time. However, the plot's central conflict remains entirely focused on two white male priests and a white female victim, preventing a higher score. Character merit is tied to spiritual strength rather than intersectional characteristics.

Oikophobia2/10

The film does not frame Western culture or its institutions as fundamentally corrupt. It is 'flagrantly, stubbornly pro-faith' and celebrates the love and compassion of the Catholic Church and its members, viewing the institution as a necessary shield against chaos. The crisis of faith is internal to one priest, Father Steiger, not a broad attack on the ancestors or heritage, keeping the score low.

Feminism2/10

The core of the story is the male priests' spiritual and personal battle, with the possessed young woman as a passive victim, not a 'Girl Boss' or Mary Sue. The supporting nuns, such as Sister Rose, are depicted in a protective and complementary role, enduring suffering to aid the afflicted, which respects a traditional, supportive female archetype. The narrative contains no anti-natalism or emasculation of the male leads.

LGBTQ+1/10

The narrative adheres to a normative structure. The central relationships and moral framework are based on traditional male-female pairing within the context of the Catholic Church. There is no evidence of centering alternative sexualities, deconstructing the nuclear family, or lecturing on gender ideology.

Anti-Theism1/10

Faith is the central force for good, and the film is explicitly 'pro-faith.' The plot's resolution affirms Objective Truth and a higher moral law, with the demon being cast out by traditional religious ritual. The skeptical priest, Father Steiger, who initially seeks scientific or psychological explanations for the possession, is ultimately proven wrong, serving as a powerful message that transcendent morality is real.