Writer-director Ethan Berger stepped into the Deadline Zurich Summit Studio on Saturday to talk about his debut feature The Line, which screened at the Zurich Film Festival this weekend.
The project is told from the viewpoint of Tom (Alex Wolff), a devoted “brother” from a fictional college fraternity. Tom is charmed by the promises of high social status and alumni connections that open doors, and pledges allegiance to an institution without fully understanding the cost of that loyalty. As the sophomore year begins, Tom’s view of his fraternity culture, and his own identity, is challenged by a new acquaintance outside his social circle (Halle Bailey) and by the dangerous fraternity hazing antics perpetrated by his best friend (Bo Mitchell) as he goes to war with a freshman pledge Gettys (Austin Abrams) who won’t conform.
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As the exuberant freedom of college darkens, Tom’s dedication to his fraternity threatens to overshadow his future and makes him question everything he thought he valued. It also stars Lewis Pullman, Angus Cloud, Scoot McNairy, Denise Richards, Cheri Oteri, and John Malkovich.
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“I feel like eighteen-year-olds are impressionable and schools in some ways are setting them up to fail because I feel like a lot of societal issues are born in fraternities,” said Berger. “I think that they’re segregated and people go into them because they can see a mirror of themselves or who they want to become and that’s not necessarily the best thing for them.
“On the flip side, I see why someone would want to join because they are the epicenter of social life on American campuses. Eighteen-year-olds want to have friends and are lonely and trying to figure themselves out. Another point we are trying to make [in the film] is just because you’re traumatized, it doesn’t give you the right to inflict trauma on others. Often times men – and this isn’t specific to the U.S. – define masculinity by how much trauma you can endure and it’s like, ‘Why?’”
Check out the video above.