For most people hazing rituals are silly bonding exercises designed to create shared experiences with the goal of bringing them all closer together, but Goat is the upcoming drama about a college fraternity pledging that goes way too far.
It’s based on the 2005 memoir by Brad Land, ‘Goat: A Memoir’, and is a disturbing account of his experiences from when he attempted to join his brother’s fraternity, while at the same time trying to come to terms with a recent trauma.
The official plot synopsis is as follows:
Reeling from a terrifying assault, a 19 year-old boy [Brad Land – Ben Schnetzer] enrolls into college with his brother [Brad Land – Nick Jonas] and pledges the same fraternity. What happens there, in the name of “brotherhood” tests the boy and his loyalty to his brother in brutal ways.
Stories about initiation, pledging, hazing, call-it-what-you-will rituals, that go to far and end up hurting those involved have been popping up in the news media with regularity, and judging by the trailer this is a very intense look at one of those cases. It also demonstrates what some people are willing to go through in order to win acceptance – no Nick, you can’t come out the well because you’re not done yet; and talking means another month.
What do you think?
Goat opens in the US on 23 September. Directed by Andrew Neel (The Feature), it stars Nick Jonas, Ben Schnetzer, James Franco, Virginia Gardner and Danny Flaherty.
Last Updated: July 8, 2016
