Review of Goat (2016) by K Nife C — 24 Sep 2016

The moronic brainwashing that you always suspected was an integral part of fraternity initiation truly does exist. This adaptation of Brad Land's memoirs on trauma and brotherhood certainly pulls no punches in hitting this truth home.

While hardly disturbing as any Darren Aronofsky film, the reality of seeing young men sacrifice their dignity and individuality for some semblance of security or acceptance is anything but ineffective.

Yes, the hazing is quite graphic, but I was surprised that the film never truly crossed the line into complete exploitation. The fraternal chiefs are fairly one-dimensional bros, but they don't ever seem like truly evil individuals, acculturated with the expectation of some archaic notion of machismo.

They're just dumb kids becoming dumb adults amidst an unnecessarily violent rite of passage and culture. As boring as Ben Schnetzer and Nick Jonas are to watch and listen to, their lack of personality or drive is completely appropriate for their characters who are just as empty and adrift as any man boys their age could be.

It felt like the film was reaching for something that it couldn't quite grasp the whole time. Perhaps it is an expose on white affluence, perhaps it is a commentary on American masculinity. Nothing get's mailed home except for "real brothers act like family".

Overall, it isn't an essential piece of cinema, but it is certainly better than the similarly themed "Everybody Wants Some!".