Documentary, Drama  •  2017  •  107 min

The Venerable W. (2017)

The Venerable W. poster

The Venerable W. (2017)


Rating & Dimensions

Bias Rating
Analyzing...
Leans Progressive
Political: Strong Left
Diversity: Moderate
Family Values: Mixed
Buddhism: Negative
Islam: Positive

Viewer Rating
7.9

Overview

French director Barbet Schroeder turns his camera on Ashin Wirathu, a Buddhist monk in Myanmar whose fiery anti-Muslim sermons helped fuel sectarian violence against the Rohingya minority. The film frames Wirathu as a case study in how religious authority can be weaponized to justify persecution, drawing a direct line between hate speech and ethnic cleansing. That framing lands the label Leans Progressive because the documentary's core argument centers on minority rights, the dangers of majoritarian religious nationalism, and the human cost paid by a marginalized group. Buddhism is shown critically, Islam sympathetically. There is no counter-framing to balance the scales, but the documentary genre rarely pretends otherwise.


Starring Cast

Ashin Wirathu  •   U. Zanitar  •   Kyaw Zayar Htun


Where to watch

Philo logoPhilo
Apple TV logoApple TV
Google Play logoGoogle Play
Powered byJustWatch

Detailed Bias Analysis

Analyzing...
Leans Progressive

Primary

Political: Strong Left
Confidence: High

The film's central thesis is an explicit critique of religious extremism and hate speech leading to the persecution of a minority, which fundamentally aligns with progressive ideology's focus on human rights and social justice.

Diversity: Moderate
Confidence: High

This documentary features a cast that naturally reflects the diverse population of Myanmar, as it chronicles real events and individuals involved in religious extremism and the persecution of a minority group. The narrative critically examines themes of intolerance and the plight of a marginalized community, aligning with broader social justice concerns, but does not explicitly critique traditional Western identities.

Secondary

Family Values: Mixed
Confidence: High

The Venerable W. centers on a Buddhist monk's public rhetoric and its role in fueling sectarian violence in Myanmar, without any portrayal of marriage, parenting, gender roles in the home, or other family dynamics.

Buddhism: Negative
Confidence: High

The film critically portrays the extremist Buddhist nationalist movement led by Ashin Wirathu. It exposes the hateful rhetoric and actions of this specific manifestation of Buddhism, depicting it as a source of oppression and violence.

Islam: Positive
Confidence: High

The film documents the persecution and violence against the Rohingya Muslim minority. The narrative clearly condemns the bigotry and violence directed at Muslims, positioning the audience to sympathize with the victimized community.

LGBTQ: N/A
Confidence: High

The film is a documentary exploring religious extremism and ethnic violence in Myanmar, specifically detailing the actions of Buddhist monk Ashin Wirathu and the persecution of the Rohingya. The narrative is entirely focused on these geopolitical and social issues, with no identifiable LGBTQ+ characters or themes present.

Trans: N/A
Confidence: High

The documentary 'The Venerable W.' explores the rise of Buddhist nationalism in Myanmar, focusing on the monk Ashin Wirathu and his role in inciting anti-Muslim violence. The film's narrative is entirely centered on religious extremism, hate speech, and the persecution of the Rohingya minority. It does not feature any identifiable transsexual characters or themes.

Female Combat: N/R

The movie does not contain any action or adventure elements.

Gender Swap: No
Confidence: High

This documentary portrays real historical figures, Ashin Wirathu, U. Zanitar, and Kyaw Zayar Htun, all of whom are male and are depicted as such in the film. There are no instances where a character historically established as one gender is portrayed as a different gender.

Race Swap: No
Confidence: High

The film is a documentary that features real historical figures portraying themselves, rather than actors portraying characters from source material or historical records. Therefore, the concept of a race swap does not apply.

Hinduism: N/A
Confidence: High

Not depicted in the film.


Viewer Rating Breakdown

7.9

Viewer Rating

Combines user and critic ratings from four sources

User Ratings

IMDB logo
7.1
The Movie Database logo
6.6

Critic Ratings

Rotten Tomatoes logo
10.0
Metacritic logo
7.9

More Like This

Tarnation poster
Leans Progressive
8.0
Tarnation
 (2003)
Political: Leans Left
Diversity: Moderate
LGBTQ: Positive
Sicko poster
Leans Progressive
8.0
Sicko
 (2007)
Political: Strong Left
Diversity: Moderate