The Line (2023 film)

The Line is a 2023 American drama film directed by Ethan Berger, written by Berger, Alex Russek and Zack Purdo, and starring Alex Wolff, Lewis Pullman, Halle Bailey, Austin Abrams, Angus Cloud, Bo Mitchell, Denise Richards, Cheri Oteri, Scoot McNairy and John Malkovich. This was the final film released during Cloud's lifetime before his death on July 31, 2023.

The Line
Directed by	Ethan Berger
Written by	Ethan Berger Zack Purdo Alex Russek
Produced by	Alexandre Dauman Jack Parker Adam Paulsen Lije Sarki
Starring	Alex Wolff Lewis Pullman Halle Bailey Austin Abrams Angus Cloud Bo Mitchell Denise Richards Cheri Oteri Scoot McNairy John Malkovich
Cinematography	Stefan Weinberger
Edited by	Ted Feldman
Music by	Daniel Rossen
Production companies	1993 Big Cat Productions The Brand Productions Valparaiso Pictures
Distributed by	Utopia
Release dates	June 9, 2023 (2023-06-09) (Tribeca) October 18, 2024 (2024-10-18) (United States)
Running time	100 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$37,774

Premise

Tom, a passionate 'brother' of his fraternity, is charmed by the promises of high social status and alumni connections that open doors. But as a classmate outside of his social circle named Annabelle enters his life, his devotion begins to falter. Once the scheduled hazing of new fraternity members comes to a disturbing head, Tom is faced with the decision of a lifetime.

Cast

• Alex Wolff as Tom Backster
• Lewis Pullman as Todd Stevens
• Halle Bailey as Annabelle Bascom
• Austin Abrams as Gettys O'Brien
• Angus Cloud as Robert DeWitt
• Bo Mitchell as Mitch Miller
• Denise Richards as Leanne
• Cheri Oteri as Jackie Backster
• Scoot McNairy
• John Malkovich as Beach Miller
• Will Ropp as Bayne Ellis
• Graham Patrick Martin as Connor Murphy
• Nicholas Basille as Frank Vitti
• Drew Pipkin as Bill Roberts

Production

In March 2019, it was announced that Wolff would star in the film along with Malkovich, McNairy, Jessica Barden and Pullman.

Release

The film premiered at the Tribeca Festival on June 9, 2023. In May 2024, Utopia acquired distribution rights to the film and scheduled it for a select release on October 18, 2024, before expanding on October 23, 2024.

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 78% of 45 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7/10.

Taylor Gates of Collider graded the film a B+ and wrote, "It’s a sophisticated commentary wrapped up in a beer-soaked package and is sure to linger with you long after the credits roll."

Murtada Efadl of Variety gave the film a positive review and wrote, "As Tom’s world crumbles, Wolff adapts his performance, which becomes more raw, adding sensitivity and disillusionment."

Lovia Gyarkye of The Hollywood Reporter also gave the film a positive review and wrote, "Enthralling even when it doesn't go deep."

Samantha Bergeson of IndieWire graded the film an A−, calling it "absolutely one of the most accurate films about fraternity life ever made."

Chad Collins of Dread Central awarded the film four stars out of five, calling it a "terrifying debut from director Ethan Berger."

Pete Hammond of Deadline Hollywood also gave the film a positive review and wrote, "The deck is stacked in The Line, but the ultimate message (which is you are best to steer clear of the frat world at all costs) comes through loud and clear."

External links

• The Line at IMDb
• The Line at Rotten Tomatoes