Netflix may have caught a ton of vitriolic racism for its TV series adaptation of the movie Dear White People, but that doesn’t seem to have deterred them from continuing to put out stories that highlight the black experience. Burning Sands is Netflix’s latest film, an although it stars an all-black cast, it isn’t about race relations in America; it’s about hazing.
The intense trailer chronicles the increasingly violent hazing practices a group of young men at a fictional HBCU go through as they try to join a highly coveted fraternity, from early morning burger runs to beatings, branding and more. The story seems very similar to the movie GOAT, which came out last year. Even in the two-and-a-half minute trailer, it’s shocking to see what people are willing to go through for an identity. The film has already won accolades at the Sundance Film Festival this year. Viola Davis and Common also appear in the film.
To be fair, not all fraternities are like this. However, the continual bad press about fraternity hazing and rapes has not left the Greek community in a strong light. Burning Sands is set to release on March 10th on Netflix, will you be watching?