I think a miniseries, maybe 4 episodes, would have fir the story better.
It's a competent, and at times compellingly made movie, I didn't think it went far enough into the psychology, and the social issues immersed in frat culture, esp. at an HBCU. The really disturbing parallels, contrasts, symbolism between beatings in the times of slavery and beatings at places that symbolize such a change from the past, but also such a omnipresent force of oppression and control.....
Basically a subculture that normalizes violence and degradation, dehumanization, and then the next cycle repeats it, like any form of abuse, it's passed on to the victim. The movie gets sidetracked on some pretty familiar college movie cliches, the new girl, the old girl, the overbearing well meaning teacher, the somewhat sinister head of the frat, the promiscuous girl (all sub plots that are essentially tossed aside, and add nothing) but the acting is strong, the direction and music are good, and while I think the message itself is somewhat muddled by the end, I think it's an important one.
Note: the beatings and verbal abuse were hard to watch, just for the fact it's so awful to watch people willingly treat people, and be treated like such, in the name of a "brotherhood", what kind of brother makes you eat dog food? Or spits in your face?
and what was with the faces they made? was that something I missed?
edit: I also took the ending as all three pledges renouncing the frat, by not going back, and staying at the hospital, I think it's implied he would be cooperating with the investigation.
at some points. The dude that played Square probably studied Spike Lee from Skool Daze and decided to go with that lol.
Did Zurich get in? Did ol dude die?
