Reviewing as I watch along so spoilers are obviously included. Generally speaking, these college orgs have normalised and culturalised evil, cruelty, violence, promiscuity, assault, addiction, and so much more, in every system of humanity from the system of yourself, to the system of your family, your neighborhood, your school, your job, the entertainment and sports industry, every aspect of life, because everyone sadly is, knows or works for, or is in a relationship of some sort with, someone who hazed or who was hazed. And these people are indirect or direct decision makers or influences in our lives, from teachers, parents, doctors, friends, bosses, politicians, celebrities...It's sick. Their monstrous standards are laced all throughout our lives one way or another. That being said, every movie about hazing should demonstrate this controversy as raw as possible. And if it does not, it's no good. I will determine if this film is any good. If it's a genuine exposé, or if it's a half done cop-out that covertly advertises hazing and college orgs.
First scene starts with a single leader member whatever the weirdos call themselves doing drill sergeant type training on a group of wanna be members. There's 6 of them, one of him. It's a total scenario of cowardice. They could've jumped him. Dumped him in a lake. But I guess revenge wouldn't be wise. However, intro or not, the scene was a deceiving understatement of what hazing is like. It's not organized training from one guy. It's murderous madness. Still, it displays sadism fed by a weird need to fit in with a useless group. This is unresolved high school bullying that made its way to college because immature high schoolers go straight to college, even if they're not ready.
The next scene that's I suppose worthy of highlighting is a classroom debate between a light skinned colorist whose only ammo is to make a dark skinned student back down from her valid point about slavery, by mentioning her weave. And it was accepted. This colorist b-tch later goes on to be the main characters crush and acts as a lure at a party, where he gets violently paddled all night at a sick and brutal ritual. This too delicately glazes over colorism and the role certain women play in bringing black men down. If you don't want to talk about race, don't watch a movie about one lol See, ghetto brown skinned but pretty girls who were on good terms with frat members were still not allowed in the party. But the colorist light skin was. And it was here that she sensually danced on the main character which kept him at that party where he got violated.
The next scene proves why I think this film is not a genuine exposé at all. It mixed humor into a horrific event, which is them healing from their wounds after getting beaten badly all night. I laughed out loud at their lines "lemme get some Epsom salt" and I caught myself. This isn't funny!!!!!! Why is there a comic relief here!! Real people have DIED at these parties!!!! The film so far even neglects s-xual innuendos during these hazings which is so irresponsible because I'm sure s-xual assault is a major major factor of hazing because s-x is a powerful form of control from pleasure and pride to torture and guilt. There's no need to make this film viewer friendly by avoiding the most important realities. It was released on Netflix, a largely teen and college viewership platform. These are the people who need the reality the most. Don't worry about the film getting banned so you leave tough subject matter out. If we can get our fingers on Japanese porn and A Serbian Film we can get our fingers on a banned document about everyday hazing!
So far the film is slow and the acting is cringe. It lacks intensity though they go for it. I'm 1/3 of the way there and this film delicately just presents homicidal and suicidal hazing as basic bullying.
The following scene shows that they sort of graduated in ranks and are now in a "brotherhood" network that "puts words in" for them. How sad. Everyone is in cahoots, even the PROFESSORS so there's no help or escape where there needs to be.
The next scene shows them blackmailed into being enlisted in "running the train" on a girl. But it shows her weirdly enough enjoying it! I know no one enjoyed that. And I know no viewers expected that. This discredits the fact that people are actually forced into s-xual assault on both ends in real hazings (using a random person as lamb bait for a victim of hazing made to gang assault someone), and to have her turn gang assault particularly as a black woman into a form of female empowerment and trying to make her likable despite this is disgusting. This film further proves it is NOT exposing the dangers of hazing, but normalising and propagandising it! The scene seemed like an alternate reality like he was dreaming or on a shrooms trip. I just knew he had to have been and was gonna wake up. It was so ridiculous. But it does, again, show that women are a large part in these hazings. They lure with s-x like it's a perk or a distraction or an interlude in the abuse and creating a toxic twisted example of manhood. Sad, lost morons.
The failure of the black community isn't even gangs. Gangs are smoke and mirrors. Most people aren't even in them. It's these frats. Because the frats purport to be what the black community needs! Yet when you believe that fallacy, you're inducted into a world of horror with mental abuse that normalises it so you lose your foundation that it's wrong and accept it. "Oh this is the only way I a black person will get friends, fun, a partner, a job, a home, and help." The only person who had a conscience and sought a way out and who got along with everyone became the leader who encouraged them to keep continuing with the abuse?! What a weird direction the film took. What a horrible influence and brainwashing young people who watch this by putting a soldier and friendship appeal into hazing and even had him perform a "we descend from kings not slaves" (which is also embarrassingly and dangerously inaccurate lol) spiel which definitely...was not Oscar worthy if that's what they were pathetically going for!
The next scene shows someone dying after getting beaten and the main character asks the leaders if this has happened before. No one answers affirmatively so it's implied that it has. Still, no one answered affirmatively so it's another one of those cop-outs. It's all fun and games till someone dies? No. It shouldn't take an actual death for them to realize it's not fun or right. That's called hypocrisy. Because, if he survived, you'd still be thinking it's fun and you'd still be standing around beating your chest ranting at your friends for wanting to quit. Most people also haven't died. They survived. So it's giving a dismissive dramatized view to a sick reality.
I will forever look at people who have graduated from a university especially where they dormed, and people in sororities and frats, with hatred and rebuke and a suppressed desire to kill them or at least spit in their face. And I'm not even religious. I'm just sickened. A hardcore blood pumping revenge on hazing as a film is what's needed, rather than a delicate look into their culture like this film.
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