THE LINE Trailer (2024) Halle Bailey, Alex Wolff

THE LINE Trailer (2024) Halle Bailey, Alex Wolff

THE LINE Trailer (2024) Halle Bailey, Alex Wolff, John Malkovich, Scoot McNairy, Angus Cloud
© 2024 - Utopia
Plot: What's the story about?
An engrossing contemplation of blind adherence to tradition through the lens of a fictional college fraternity. Tom (Alex Wolff), a passionate ‘brother’ of this 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 (Halle Bailey) 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.
Making his feature film debut with ‘The Line‘, director Ethan Berger helms a story about the manipulative and morally ambiguous life of college fraternities. Starring Alex Wolff in the leading role, ‘The Line’ follows a working-class student played by Wolff navigating through the madness of frat life.

"You want to be party of the family, you go through this!" Utopia has revealed the teaser for the fraternity thriller tilted The Line, which is now releasing this fall. It originally premiered in 2023 at the Tribeca Film Festival last year, with stops at the Zurich & Sarastoa Film Festivals as well. The Line is a campus thriller that plunges into the dangerous world of college frats and blind adherence to tradition. Alex Wolff as Tom, a scholarship student seduced into the alluring, dangerous world of college fraternities. Desperate to escape his working-class background, Tom is torn between a new romance with a classmate and the machinations of his fraternity president, becoming ensnared in a perilous game of ambition and loyalty. Wolff stars with Lewis Pullman and Halle Bailey. The Line cast also features Austin Abrams, the late Angus Cloud, Bo Mitchell, Cheri Oteri, Scoot McNairy, Denise Richards, and John Malkovich. Looks unsettling in a bad way - can only handle so much hazing before it's gross. But they like to say, brotherhood is forever.

Here's the first teaser trailer (+ poster) for Ethan Berger's film The Line, direct from Utopia's YouTube:

The Line Poster Full

Alex Wolff stars as Tom, a scholarship student desperate to break free from his working-class background who is charmed by the prestigious KNA fraternity's promises of high social status and alumni connections that open doors. But upon beginning a romance with Annabelle (Halle Bailey), a classmate outside of his social circle, and the manipulative schemes of his fraternity president (Lewis Pullman) unfolding during the hazing of new members, Tom finds himself ensnared in a perilous game of ambition and loyalty. The Line is directed by newcomer writer / filmmaker Ethan Berger, who's making his feature directorial debut with this project after a few other shorts. The screenplay is written by Ethan Berger and Alex Russek, from a story by Zack Purdo. Produced by Adam Paulsen, Alexandre Dauman, and Lije Sarki. This first premiered at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival last year, and it also played at this year's Sarasota Film Festival. Utopia will debut Berger's The Line in select US theaters starting on October 18th, 2024 this fall. Anyone interested?
‘The Line’ had its world premiere at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival, collecting a generally positive reactions from film critics.

Starring the film alongside Wolff are Lewis Pullman, Halle Bailey, Austin Abrams, Angus Cloud, Bo Mitchell, Cheri Oteri, Scoot McNairy, Denise Richards, and John Malkovich.

Release Date
Directed by Ethan Berger, ‘The Line’ opens in select US theaters on October 18, 2024 before expanding on October 23, 2024.

Synopsis
The Line is a campus thriller that plunges into the dangerous world of college fraternities and blind adherence to tradition.

Alex Wolff stars as Tom, a scholarship student desperate to break free from his working-class background who is charmed by the prestigious KNA fraternity’s promises of high social status and alumni connections that open doors. But upon beginning a romance with Annabelle (Halle Bailey), a classmate outside of his social circle, and the manipulative schemes of his fraternity president (Lewis Pullman) unfolding during the hazing of new members, Tom finds himself ensnared in a perilous game of ambition and loyalty.

“I feel like eighteen-year-olds are impressionable and schools in some ways are setting them up to fail because I feel like a lot of societal issues are born in fraternities,” said director Ethan Berger on the film in an interview with Deadline. “I think that they’re segregated and people go into them because they can see a mirror of themselves or who they want to become and that’s not necessarily the best thing for them.”

Official Teaser Trailer
Watch the official teaser trailer for ‘The Line’.
The teaser trailer for Halle Bailey’s new movie, The Line has been released. Bailey is joined in the movie by Alex Wolff, Lewis Pullman, Austin Abrams, Angus Cloud, Bo Mitchell, Cheri Oteri, Scoot McNairy, Denise Richards, and John Malkovich.

“The Line is a campus thriller that plunges into the dangerous world of college fraternities and blind adherence to tradition. Alex Wolff stars as Tom, a scholarship student desperate to break free from his working-class background who is charmed by the prestigious KNA fraternity’s promises of high social status and alumni connections that open doors. But upon beginning a romance with Annabelle (Halle Bailey), a classmate outside of his social circle, and the manipulative schemes of his fraternity president (Lewis Pullman) unfolding during the hazing of new members, Tom finds himself ensnared in a perilous game of ambition and loyalty.”

The movie opens in select theaters on October 18th and nationwide on October 23rd.
You may feel like you’ve seen plenty of films about college fraternities before, but you’ve never seen one quite like “The Line,” being released by Utopia in select theaters on October 18, with an expansion on October 23.

Director Ethan Berger‘s film is way, way more than a “problem picture” about the evils of hazing and other negative aspects of campus Greek life, nor is it a comedy in the “Animal House” mode. It’s a deeply absorbing character study about why fraternities are appealing in the first place — one that then takes quite a turn in a very suspenseful direction to become an outright thriller. Watch the teaser trailer for “The Line” above, a IndieWire exclusive, set to the sweet sound of “neggy” by Husky Loops.

Related Stories
'BLINK TWICE,' Haley Joel Osment, 2024. © Amazon MGM Studios / courtesy Everett Collection
Zoë Kravitz’s ‘Blink Twice’ #1 on PVOD After Only Reaching #4 in Theaters
'Piece by Piece'
Focus Features Unveils ‘Piece By Piece’ Lego Minifigure Generator in Honor of Pharrell Williams’ Upcoming Animated Biopic
In the film, Alex Wolff stars as Tom, a guy from a working class background who’s a rising force in his fraternity at a prestigious southern college. He believes that the relationships forged because of his frat will set him up for success after graduation — this is partying and socializing as networking. The fraternity’s president (Lewis Pullman) puts Tom in charge of recruitment, and among the pledges is Gettys O’Brien (Austin Abrams) who both epitomizes frat life and subtly subverts it. Gettys butts heads with Tom’s best friend (Bo Mitchell), complicating Tom’s efforts to induct the next pledge class.

It’s all very much Greek life as a hermetically sealed-off world, but then Tom meets Annabelle, who has no interest in fraternities or sororities whatsoever. Halle Bailey plays this breath of fresh air, who gives Tom a glimpse of what life could be like if he actually focused on his studies rather than drinking, drugging, and hiring hookers for his buddies (the sheer amount of money all the frat brothers expend is astonishing).

It all heads toward what is the single most suspenseful scene you’re likely to have watched in a movie for some time. But that the film veers off in a thriller direction is all the more impressive for Berger’s masterful command of tone: Yes, it becomes a white-knuckle ride, Wolff’s Tom stretched to the limit, but it’s a film that, to that point, also had Bailey saying to him, when he looked to her for help with coursework, “I’m not your study hooker!” That had John Malkovich and Denise Richards playing the parents of Tom’s best friend, who lives in a weird pressure cooker of obscene privilege but also lofty expectations he’ll never meet.

Denise Richards and John Malkovich in 'The Line'
Denise Richards and John Malkovich in ‘The Line’Utopia
Berger, who previously directed commercials and served as a writer and producer on the ESPN miniseries “More Than an Athlete,” makes his narrative debut with “The Line,” but it comes across like the work of an even much more experienced filmmaker.

Here’s the official synopsis and poster: “’The Line’ is a campus thriller that plunges into the dangerous world of college fraternities and blind adherence to tradition. Alex Wolff stars as Tom, a scholarship student desperate to break free from his working-class background who is charmed by the prestigious KNA fraternity’s promises of high social status and alumni connections that open doors. But upon beginning a romance with Annabelle (Halle Bailey), a classmate outside of his social circle, and the manipulative schemes of his fraternity president (Lewis Pullman) unfolding during the hazing of new members, Tom finds himself ensnared in a perilous game of ambition and loyalty.”

Read More:
Alex Wolff
austin abrams
Ethan Berger
Film
The Line
Check out the star-studded trailer for The Line, starring Alex Wolff, Lewis Pullman, Halle Bailey, Austin Abrams, Angus Cloud, Bo Mitchell with Cheri Oteri, Scoot McNairy, Denise Richards and John Malkovich. The Line is a campus thriller that plunges into the dangerous world of college fraternities and blind adherence to tradition.

Alex Wolff stars as Tom, a scholarship student desperate to break free from his working-class background who is charmed by the prestigious KNA fraternity's promises of high social status and alumni connections that open doors. But upon beginning a romance with Annabelle (Halle Bailey), a classmate outside of his social circle, and the manipulative schemes of his fraternity president (Lewis Pullman) unfolding during the hazing of new members, Tom finds himself ensnared in a perilous game of ambition and loyalty.
Get ready to experience a college fraternity movie like no other. This isn’t just another tale of hazing or campus antics—it’s a gripping thriller that delves into the allure and dangers of Greek life, featuring an all-star cast that includes Alex Wolff, Halle Bailey, Lewis Pullman, and John Malkovich. The Line, directed by Ethan Berger, is set to hit select theaters on October 18, with a broader release on October 23.

At the heart of The Line is Tom, played by Alex Wolff (Hereditary), a working-class student determined to climb the social ladder at his prestigious Southern college through the KNA fraternity. Tom’s ambition is fueled by the fraternity’s promises of lifelong connections and success, but the reality of Greek life soon becomes much darker. As he rises in the ranks, becoming head of recruitment, Tom is drawn into a web of manipulation and high-stakes gamesmanship led by the fraternity president, portrayed by Lewis Pullman (Thunderbolts). The tension escalates when Tom meets Annabelle, played by Halle Bailey (The Little Mermaid), who challenges his commitment to the fraternity and offers a glimpse of a different life.

Berger’s film, which premiered at the 2023 Tribeca Festival to critical acclaim, deftly transitions from a character study to a suspenseful thriller. The film’s ensemble cast adds depth to the story, with performances from Austin Abrams (Do Revenge), Bo Mitchell (Cobra Kai), and the legendary John Malkovich (Con Air) and Denise Richards (Starship Troopers), who play the parents of Tom’s conflicted best friend.

As the narrative unfolds, The Line explores the toxic pressures of fraternity culture, culminating in a climactic scene that is as shocking as it is inevitable. Berger, who co-wrote the script with Alex Russek, makes his feature film directorial debut with this project, marking a promising start for the filmmaker known for his work on ESPN’s miniseries More Than an Athlete.

With its intense storyline and standout performances, The Line is a thought-provoking addition to the genre, pushing audiences to question the true cost of blind loyalty and ambition within the insulated world of college fraternities.