Get ready for a new take on the classic fraternity movie genre with The Line, which premiered at the Tribeca Festival this weekend. Unlike its predecessors, this film takes a deadly serious approach to the dark side of college frat houses, drawing inspiration from the many headlines about hazing deaths and other horrific incidents. But don’t worry, the first half to two-thirds of the movie still delivers plenty of entertainment value with its portrayal of the fictional southern Kappa Nu Alpha fraternity and its vile, sick, and crass members. By the end, you’ll be rooting for every last one of them to be expelled and the house to be shut down for good.
Our protagonist, Tom (played by Alex Wolff), is a conflicted member of the fraternity who begins his sophomore year with a thoroughly repulsive and unbearable roommate and BFF, Mitch (Bo Mitchell). The rest of the frat brothers are no better, fitting the stereotype of misogynistic cokeheads, racists, sexists, homophobes, and all-around repugnant human beings. But things really heat up when a new pledge named Gettys (Austin Abrams) joins the fraternity and becomes the target of Mitch’s hazing campaign. Meanwhile, Tom strikes up a dialogue with the “Black lesbian” Annabelle (Halle Bailey), who is rightfully skeptical of him and his buddies.
The meat of the story comes during the well-detailed hazing scene, which spirals out of control and leads to an accidental death (or maybe not so accidental). The frat brothers’ attempts to hide the evidence and avoid responsibility lead to a confrontation with the cops, and the ultimate fate of Kappa Nu Alpha hangs in the balance. Shot during Covid in just three weeks, The Line is an impressive feature film debut for director Ethan Berger, who also co-wrote the script with Alex Russek. The cast is equally impressive, with standout performances from Wolff, Bailey, Pullman, and Abrams.
But don’t let the entertainment value of The Line distract you from its important message: that the frat world is a dangerous and toxic place that should be avoided at all costs. The film serves as a reminder that hazing and other dangerous behaviors don’t just happen in the movies, and that real-life tragedies like the death of Penn State’s Timothy Piazza are all too common. Overall, The Line is a must-see film that will leave you both entertained and enlightened.
