Reviews

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  ★★★½ review by Jake Kwiatkowski on Letterboxd

  Does for fraternities what Jaws did for swimming!!

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  ★★★½ review by davidehrlich on Letterboxd

  Billy Eichner once asked if masculinity is a prison, and this Sundance surprise — adapted from Brad Land's memoir about his own experience with fraternity hazing — responds with an answer that's loud and clear: "Yeah, bro!" In the spring before his freshman year of college, a young man (Ben Schnetzer) was brutally assaulted by two local delinquents. Emasculated by the traumatic experience, he decided to reassert his tainted gender identity by rushing his big brother's frat. Needless to say, the plan backfires. A riveting and remarkably tense look at the toxic groupthink of Greek life, Andrew Neel's intense film might too hard to handle if not for Schnetzer's clenched performance, and pop star Nick Jonas' provokingly unexpected turn as his conflicted older sibling.

  Read more: www.rollingstone.com/movies/lists/10-best-movies-we-saw-at-sundance-2016-20160129#ixzz3yl41DBJN

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  ★★★★ review by Blain LaMotta on Letterboxd

  Violence as a meaningless, destructive act is conveyed early on as our protagonist, Brad Land, gets assaulted by two thugs he gives a ride to. A ride he gives out of the kindness of his heart. Later, violence is contorted and given meaning as a rite of passage into a fraternity. This time the violence is accepted willingly, a way to prove his manhood. Is he trying to atone for his perceived cowardice? Or is it simply that the hazing he endures is an accepted form of communion, and therefore necessary? The answers aren't easy to come by. I think this quote says it best when Brad is given the opportunity to pinpoint one of his assaulters in a police lineup: "They all look the same to me."

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  ★★★½ review by Brandon Hart on Letterboxd

  (Seen at SIFF 2016)

  A horror story in which the monster is masculinity, lording over the vulnerable. The vulnerable, who fear that a male-dominated rage culture speaks the truth when it says: to not be a man is to be nothing at all. 

  Imperfect, maybe, but there's too much drastically important stuff here to make that a problem. Cinematography is haunting, Ben Schnetzer is heartbreaking.

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  ★★★★½ review by Nikolas on Letterboxd

  I cant say much about movies, i think are masterpieces, but this is one of the, this years, best movies.

  Deals with masculinity, traumatic event, insecurity, and the horrors of fraternity. This is an essential watch, for every man. Its too relevant to my life right now. At times feels like were seeing real events, its scary.

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