‘Goat’: Trailer Out For Nick Jonas, James Franco’s Grueling Hazing Drama [Video]
The film premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival to mostly positive reviews, and now the official Goat trailer is out to introduce us to the dark drama of college hazing.
James Franco is involved as both an actor and producer, and he continues to show how he can excel in handling the challenging subject matter, in this case about the hazing of new college pledges.
The movie, based on the 2015 book Goat: A Memoir by author Brad Land, tells the true story of how the author overcame personal tragedy and followed in his brother’s footsteps to pledge a fraternity at Clemson University.
In the real life story, Land discovers the extreme depths upperclassmen will go to in hazing their new pledges. He also finds himself flashing back to his own personal trauma and is forced to decide just how far he is willing to go to remain a part of the elite on campus.
Watch @nickjonas and @JamesFrancoTV go wild in the first trailer for “Goat” https://t.co/gB2yGwqtTp
— Speakeasy (@WSJspeakeasy) July 9, 2016
As reported by MXDWN, the movie is not for the faint of heart. Parents might find it grueling, especially if their children are at a similar stage of their lives as the characters in the film Goat.
The film is directed by Andrew Neel, and its exploration of fraternity hazing, or “hell week,” on college campuses has made quite an impression.
As reported by TVMuse, Neel told EW, “I think it’s great if this film can raise awareness [of hazing], and I hope it does.”
“Kids die every year, either directly or indirectly from this kind of stuff. And it’s senseless, and it really should be stopped. I hope that the film can generate a dialogue around that. But maybe more importantly than just the little world of fraternities, I think there’s a systemic issue that men are facing. I grew up in a very liberal, progressive family, and I still feel that I’ve been subject to some of these masculine identity issues in my life.”
“So I hope that maybe even the discussion can be broader than just frats. Men don’t really have an opportunity to discuss any of this stuff,” he added.
The film had its world premiere at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, where reviews tagged the film as “brutal and unsparing.” It heads to theaters in September.
Nick Jonas experiences the dark side of Greek life in harrowing new ‘Goat’ trailer https://t.co/BsgucZkExv
— TIME.com (@TIME) July 10, 2016
In the film, Ben Schnetzer plays the role of the author, Brad, a young man managing to come to terms after a terrifying assault, while starting his new life in college. His older brother Brett, played by Nick Jonas, is already popular on campus and lures his brother into pledging the same fraternity he belongs to.
With the memory of the previous assault in mind, the ever-increasingly traumatic hazing rituals threaten to divide the two brothers as they both experience different emotional directions.
James Franco, Nick Jonas make Hell Week look like actual hell in fraternity drama Goat: https://t.co/TeK90VwyCx pic.twitter.com/esBtYzwaJ8
— Slate (@Slate) July 11, 2016
Franco produces and also stars in Goat, playing the part of a former member of the fraternity, along with Gus Halper (Ricki and the Flash), Danny Flaherty (King Jack), Virginia Gardner (Project Almanac), and Jake Picking (Dirty Grandpa).
The full plot synopsis of the film Goat is included below, and the film opens in theaters on September 23, just at the time the new school year begins and potential pledges face the lure of the dark underworld of college socialization.
The synopsis of the film and the official Goat trailer are included below.
“Reeling from a terrifying assault, a 19 year-old boy enrolls into college with his brother 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.”
[Image via Sundance]
