I just love movies where things go horribly wrong, or someone fucks up, and Brotherhood is one of those movies. Ever since I saw Very Bad Things, I’ve been fascinated by this concept. We usually get those robbery gone wrong movies so it was really refreshing to see something different. This brings us to the main theme of Brotherhood, fraternity initiation. I fucking hate them. I think they’re stupid relics of a bygone era. And I have to stop myself here before I get all philosophical on you. Just think army, power structures, toxic masculinity, and everything that comes along with it.
So, this isn’t one of those frat party movies but something entirely else. This is a gripping thriller unfolding in real-time featuring a very realistic story. This is something movies dealing with this subject oftentimes missed. We’re talking about either dumb comedies or gory horror movies that can be just as dumb. Brotherhood explores this concept of a fraternity and “friendship for life”. I won’t reveal much of the story because I don’t want to spoil anything.
I think you can already guess that most of the characters won’t be very likable. Even the good ones will have major flaws. As we go through this fucking life of ours, we’re faced with various moral choices and decisions. So, it’s our job to figure out what to do in each situation and what would be the best course of action. You can also play this game at each turn the Brotherhood takes, thinking about what would you do. And then whether you would actually do it. Because thinking it and doing it in real life are two very different things.
Adam Buckley is your typical freshman eager to join his local Sigma Zeta Chi fraternity. The only problem is that he has to pass the initiation ritual. The last test of this ritual is that each freshman has to rob a convenience store, and after that, they are in and the whole ordeal is over. However, this is where things will go wrong, terribly wrong.
Brotherhood slowly initiates you into its world and then ramps up the pressure and pacing. Once things start escalating, you simply won’t have time to look at your phone or anything else. The cinematography was good and production values were excellent for such a small movie. The same goes for our young and mostly unknown cast. All of them did a really solid job.
Director: Will Canon
Writers: Will Canon, Doug Simon
Cast: Trevor Morgan, Jon Foster, Lou Taylor Pucci, Arlen Escarpeta, Jesse Steccato, Jennifer Shakeshaft (great surname for a girl)
Fun Facts: The fictional Sigma Zeta Chi fraternity house is the former Delta Upsilon fraternity house on campus at the University of Texas at Arlington.
Rating:
IMDb Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1273241/
