Cristina Lopez is a Mexican American reporter who returns to Veracruz to investigate stories about witchcraft and healers. Locals capture her after she enters a place they believe is tied to a demon. Her cousin Miranda and an older witch named Luz try to save her while Cristina fights addiction, fear, and memories from childhood. The film uses dark rooms, body horror, and folk rituals to create a tense and sometimes strange mood.
The clearest identity-driven element is Cristina’s struggle with her lost connection to her Mexican family and older local traditions. The story makes that return to her roots part of her battle for survival, and Cristina later takes on the role of the witch who leads the final fight. The film also favors local spiritual practices over the usual Catholic exorcist story, but it does not turn that choice into a modern political speech. These ideas matter to the plot, yet the movie remains a small folk-horror story about family, addiction, guilt, and healing rather than an activist drama.
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Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for The Old Ways.
Woke representation / casting
Not present. The main cast fits the Mexican and Mexican American setting of the story. The film does not present its casting as a wider diversity campaign.
0%
Woke political dialogue
Not present. The dialogue focuses on demons, addiction, family, forgiveness, and local rituals. The film has no clear modern message about DEI, gender roles, or activist politics.
0%
Identity-driven story themes
Cristina returns to a Mexican family and culture that she left behind. The story makes that lost connection part of her fight with addiction and the demon. Cristina later takes the witch’s place and leads the final fight, while her cousin helps defeat the demon. These are clear identity and heritage themes, but the film presents them as personal and spiritual matters rather than a modern activist message.
30%
Western institutional / cultural critique
Not present. The film contrasts local rituals with the familiar Catholic exorcism story. It does not attack Christianity, men, family life, or Western institutions. The conflict is about a demon, addiction, and trust.
0%
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant. The film is an original story, not an adaptation or remake. It does not change an established character or real historical event.
0%
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Not present. The supplied X pass found no anti-woke reaction. Web and audience searches found criticism of pacing, scares, and story quality, but no clear claim that the film pushes woke or DEI ideas.
0%
Creator track record context
The director and producers have mostly low creator scores, while writer Marcos Gabriel has a mild score tied to Puerto Rican family stories and old rituals. Those ideas appear in this film through its focus on roots, family, and local spiritual practice. The team has no strong public record of activist or DEI campaigning.
18%
Production
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