The Line is unpleasant. But then it should be, shouldn’t it? Written by Ethan Berger and Alex Russek and directed by Berger in his feature debut, this is a film about a college fraternity and all of the horrible sins committed in the name of tradition and brotherhood. Alex Wolff stars as Tom, a sophomore with bad grades but a good reputation among his fraternity, KNA. Their president, Todd (Lewis Pullman, great here), has Tom pegged as his replacement. The film takes place during the pledge period in which a new batch of freshmen are tortured and tested so that they might earn the privilege of joining KNA.
One pledge stands out: Gettys (Austin Abrams), a handsome young man with an ego and attitude. Tom’s roommate and frat brother Mitch (Bo Mitchell) quickly hates Gettys. The feeling is mutual. Unfortunately, Todd takes Gettys under his wing, quick to explain to Tom that he’s an in-demand pledge with a lot to offer. The young man will be given preferential treatment, much to Mitch’s chagrin.
This is, to Berger’s credit, an incessant and unblinking look at a certain corner of college life. These are unlikable young men, from the lead right on down. There is very little redeemable about what they do, what they say, and the excuses they make for their actions. Wolff anchors this well, never letting his character off the hook while also humanizing him to a certain degree. Tom harbors a deep-friend southern accent endemic to the swamps of a Florida he’s embarrassed to hail from. Though he is well-liked by his brothers, he lacks any family sway. Conversely, Mitch is incredibly annoying and disliked by his brothers but comes from a powerful family. (John Malkovich and Denise Richards play his parents in an awkward dinner scene that is well-deployed.)
There is an undercooked B-plot involving Annabelle (Halle Bailey), a student with whom Tom starts a brief romance. Bailey is a winning presence and her character offers some moral center to the narrative, but is introduced late and dispatched early. It frankly feels by design. The Line has brought us into a world where morality is replaced by loyalty, drugs, and binge-drinking. There is no time for goodness. Solid work from Cheri Oteri and Scoot McNairy is similarly secondary. Any opportunity for the right decision comes too late.
As the narrative bulldozes towards disaster, Tom loses control of any kind of code he’s convinced himself makes him better than any of these other guys. Wolff’s mumbling through his concerns is an incredible performance decision. It’s a reminder that so many of these men are young and dumb––not an excuse, but an important observation. In this way, The Line is hard to watch, and the banality of this kind of evil is incredibly off-putting. Horrible things happen while people are laughing. Even while The Line extends its welcome, it’s an undeniably unnerving experience.
The Line is now in theaters.
The post The Line Review: Unflinching Thriller Underlines Unpleasantness of Frat Bro Culture first appeared on The Film Stage.
