Fraternity life is something that is often worth exploring, and this directorial debut by Ethan Berger is a tense exploration of Greek life. Tom (Alex Wolff) is a passionate member of KNA, entering his sophomore year of college. He finds that he is given more opportunities to advance in the frat, and takes part in the various hazing rituals of the new pledges. His roommate and best friend, Mitch (Bo Mitchell), feels disrespected by a pledge, and the tensions between the two of them elevate. Through the various relationships, Berger examines social status, the promise of social advancement, and the various ways people are treated.
Wolff has been a remarkable talent over the last several years. People may remember his magnificent performance in Hereditary, but they may have missed him in Old and Pig. This is another movie that feels like it could go under the radar. However, this is a film with a truly incredible lead performance from Wolff which deserves to be seen. His character is a person who is struggling to know who he is and what he truly wants. With his frat friends, he takes on a persona that is a performance on top of his other performance. When he’s with Annabelle (Halle Bailey), he is a little more open and vulnerable. The early moment when he’s having breakfast with his mom (Cheri Oteri) before returning to the frat house allows us to get a sense of who he has become after his first year at school. This exploration into who Tom is makes the story in the movie point land all the harder.
Wolff isn’t the only talent to examine here. Bailey will be most known for her performance as Ariel this year in The Little Mermaid, but she gets to be quite different in this movie. Lewis Pullman is also given the opportunity to demonstrate a different type of character than he played in Top Gun: Maverick, and most of Bad Times at the El Royale. Then, Austin Abrams plays a familiar role that he is often great at – but with an edge slightly more arrogant take than he usually had in past performances like in Paper Towns and Brad’s Status. This film is full of great performances, and a few smaller cameos that leave an impact.
The Line is a tense experience that you can feel throughout the film’s runtime. Frat movies are often celebratory and painted as an exciting time to be alive. There are, of course, other films that examine the darker side of Greek life – but this one feels like a bigger microcosm of the world we live in. The wealthy dangle a carrot of the American dream as long as you do exactly what they say, but any deviation from their instructions and that carrot is quickly yanked away.
The Line debuted at Tribeca, and will hopefully have distribution soon.
Rating: Not Quite Golden, Ponyboy
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