'The Line': Ethan Berger reflects on working with the late Angus Cloud in movie calling out toxic frat culture

Filmmaker Ethan Berger looks at the toxic world of power and privilege in fraternity culture with the film The Line. Starring Alex Wolff, alongside Halle Bailey, Lewis Pullman, John Malkovich, Bo Mitchell and the late Angus Cloud, Berger took inspiration from the real-life tragic consequences of Greek life traditions.

Set in 2014, Tom Backster (Wolff) comes from a working-class household, and is particularly aware of and enamoured with of all the prestige and influence of the past members of the Kappa Nu Alpha (KNA) fraternity at his Southern college. As Tom heads into his sophomore year, building relationships through the frat is his number one priority, even going so far to put on a "faux Forrest Gump accent," as Tom's mom describes.

His best friend Mitch Miller (Mitchell) really only made it into the frat because of his father, Beach, played by Malkovich, but Tom knows how to appeal to Mitch's dad to get on his good side. It's the same tactic Tom uses with chapter president Todd Stevens (Pullman).

But KNA is facing significant violations of student conduct codes, being warned by the new dean of student affairs that the frat has to stop off-campus retreats and hazing.

Of course, the hazing doesn't stop. But as Tom starts a relationship with classmate Annabelle (Bailey), he faces the terrifying reality of these frat traditions that happen without consequences.

For Berger, who directed the film and co-wrote the script with Zack Purdo and Alex Russek, he pulled from his own experience in a society in college, along with living next to a fraternity, and then seeing news reports of "devastating" incidents that happen to a lot of these college students every year.

"I wrote the first draft of this in 2012 and things kept happening after that that were eerily similar to what we had written, which is, of course, fiction, and that motivated me to stick with it and try and get this movie made," Berger told Yahoo Canada.

Working with Angus Cloud: 'I really loved him'

Wolff's performance in The Line is particularly impactful. As the cinematography let's us sit in this dark cloud of toxicity of this frat, the actor's performance really leans into these evolving emotions Tom has in an affecting and heartbreaking way.

"He's a really phenomenal lead to have because he's so invested," Berger said. "When you have somebody like that to set the tone, everybody takes on that attitude and outlook."

"And he's very detail-oriented. Like for instance, he was talking to some of the guys in the fraternity about what they wore day-to-day and they were saying that they wore layers of clothes to look buff and it's something that he does in the movie."

Another standout performance comes from the late Euphoria star Angus Cloud.

"I really loved him, and I'm fortunate enough to be in contact with some of his best friends from Oakland, and his amazing sisters and mom," Berger said. "He had a presence and a charisma, and there wasn't an insincere bone in his body. He was totally himself and comfortable being himself, and vulnerable."

"What I'll remember is the scene with him and Alex in the bedroom. ... It was a really intense scene where they were both yelling at each other and a lot of people don't know this about him, but before he was cast on Euphoria he had a traumatic brain injury, and when we were shooting that scene he would get migraines, and we'd have to stop and give him breaks. And he pushed himself through it, and was able to take little naps, and I just think he gives a phenomenal performance. ... He was somebody who everybody on the cast and crew loved."

'Kids join fraternities because they want to fit in'

In order to maintain a level of authenticity in the story, Berger and the cast went to fraternities, with some of these college students also in the film. Given the fact that these men wanted to be in the movie is also proof that the film's warning about Greek life holds true.

"It just convinced me that I was on the right path," Berger said. "I feel like kids join fraternities because they want to fit in and they're lonely, and it's not necessarily because they agree with the ideology of the fraternity."

"I was totally forthcoming with everybody about what the messaging of the movie was and them choosing to be in it anyways, I think kind of let me know that we were headed in the right direction."

Berger's voice and perspective is really solid in The Line, a testament to the great focus of his work. Including things like a speech from Gladiator and dances to The Wanted "Glad You Came" also adds layers of authenticity to the story with the specifics.

The filmmaker also makes a really interesting choice at the end of the film to show a news clip about Timothy Piazza, who died during a hazing ritual at Beta Theta Pi fraternity at Pennsylvania State University. The former president and vice president of the frat were sentenced to prison earlier this month for the 2017 death of Piazza.

Without spoiling how The Line ends, we'll just say that it's a particularly compelling way to evaluate how the characters responds to this fictional school's fraternity scandal, and what that means for future students.

"It was really important to me to say that even though the movie is fiction, the problem is real," Berger said. "And so we showed it to Jim and Evelyn Piazza, Tim's parents, and they watched the movie and thought that the messaging was something that they could get behind, and made the decision to allow us to include it. And I'm eternally grateful to them."

"Even the title is about conformity and about that pressure to conform. We all encounter moments where our morality and our loyalty are kind of at odds, and we have to make a choice."

The Line opened in New York on Oct. 18, releasing in additional locations on Oct. 25