NEW MOVIE: Goat

My number one goal in writing about film was to attend an advance screening, which is a viewing of a film before it is released to the general public. It is a privilege that professional film critics enjoy, so you can see why I seek out opportunities like this. Being a college student has its perks, which in this case was an advance screening. Thanks to the joined forces of Paramount Pictures, HazingPrevention.org, and CAMPUSPEAK, my college was one of five chosen to be shown a free early screening of the new film Goat on Thursday.

Rated R for disturbing behavior involving hazing, strong sexual content
and nudity, pervasive language, alcohol abuse and some drug use

Based on the 2003 memoir Goat, the film tells the story of Brad Land (Ben Schnetzer, The Book Thief, Snowden) and the relationship with his brother Brett (Nick Jonas, Camp Rock, The Jonas Brothers) as Brad copes with the aftermath of being a victim of assault then going through the hazing process of joining the college fraternity of his brother. In other words, Animal House this is not.

The film's subject matter is awfully heavy and director Andrew Neel, who is more known for his documentary work, deals with it in appropriately brutal ways. The film is hard to watch, and at times downright sickening. However, Neel gives a sense of unease throughout the film. The disturbance isn't limited to just neverending kegs, characters getting urinated on during Hell Week, wrestling in God-knows-what, and being forced to suck on dildos and bananas (with the pretense it's a heck of a lot more graphic). While these scenes are mostly soundtrack-less, scenes away from the frat are often covered with a minimalistic electronic score akin to that of recent horror film It Follows, and a notable scene is just a disturbingly up-close visual of Brad struggling to put in his contacts--I suppose after being shamed for not fighting back against his attackers, wearing glasses makes him feel emasculated.

That said, it is important to note that the film pulls no punches in displaying the brutality and humiliation the pledges (called "goats" by the fraternity) goes through. The film is bloody, some scenes are disgusting, and in general it is hard to get through--but that's its point. It takes you by the scruff of the neck into the atmosphere of this real-life story, and it never lets go until it's too late for you to not be affected. Combined with strong performances by Jonas and Schnetzer (even if the dialogue they are given is not all that creative), this is easily the strongest part of the film.

Where the film falters, though, is in the character department. While the Land Brothers are pretty well-fleshed out with clear arcs and motivations, the other characters in the film do not receive the same benefit. I can tell you what the characters are--the nerdy friend, the mean one, the ringleader, the cute girl Brad likes (at least for a scene before she disappears; it's a shame, they had great chemistry!)--but I really can't tell you much about them since the movie doesn't really explore their characters all that much. That said, the relationships in this film were fleshed out--I understood how the various characters interacted and how our two main protagonists related to them; I just wish they added a few more minutes to let us know more about them as people. I think the greatest example of this is late in the film, when the third act begins to take off. One character says, "You hardly knew him." Another character replies, "Yes, I did. He was my roommate." We're familiar with the character relationships--why this character would be upset--but aside from the shock surrounding the event, I wasn't emotionally invested enough in this particular character for it to punch me in the gut because we really did hardly know him.

But even some of our protagonist development is lacking, in that the film decides to go down a route of telling us things instead of showing them. After the tense opening carjack sequence, we're told that Brad is having trouble in school and may not make it to Rush, or even the fall semester. I would have liked to delve into this aspect more or get rid of this, in the end, pointless conflict; but the movie drags its feet on the subject while Brad reels with the trauma until he makes the inevitable choice to go to college and try to join the frat. I'm sure the movie could have spared a few of its graphic sex scenes for some character (granted, some sex works for character or atmosphere-building--it is a frat movie; other times...not so much. I still haven't figured out if the film tried to briefly touch on the role of porn in Brad's life or not). I question why the film spent more time on some smaller things instead of building on bigger things.

This is one of the milder moments of the film, and it still feels inhumane.

All that said, the film does touch on a pertinent subject and it handles it appropriately and brutally. Despite problems in some of the character development, I cannot deny that I was affected by this film, that I was moved by the film. Even if it struggles to relevantly connect the dots between its two major events--the carjacking and the hazing--outside of the thematic sense, it does combine for a powerful, if flawed, movie. I'll give Goat 3.5 out of 5 stars. It does its job without falling in the realm of propaganda, and I was invested in the relationship of the blood brothers and the dichotomy between that and their relationship with the Frat Brothers. And James Franco (The Interview, Spring Breakers) has a meaningful, if glorified, cameo as an alumnus and Frat Brother!

It's a hard film to watch, for sure, but if you want an independent film that's not afraid to show modern issues in a realistic light and that was mostly acclaimed at festivals (as Paramount let us know at the screening), it's worth it. 

Goat is now showing in select theaters and is available on Digital HD and On Demand.