The Fraternity
The Fraternity (also known as The Circle) is a Canadian thriller film about a circle of friends that create an elite club while at the Runcie High School and cheat on an exam. The subsequent pressure on the administration for someone in the circle to be a "rat", and finding one of the students dead, prompts one of their members to search for the truth. The film was primarily shot at Bishop Ridley College in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada, where the school's prominent initials around campus conveniently matched those of Runcie College.
| The Fraternity | |
|---|---|
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| Directed by | Sidney J. Furie |
| Written by | Brian Hannan |
Release date | 2002 |
Running time | 93 minutes |
| Country | Canada |
| Language | English |
Cast and crew
- Sidney J. Furie - Director
- Brian Hannan - Writer
- Treat Williams.... Mr. Spencer Runcie
- Robin Dunne.... Alex Desineau
- Gianpaolo Venuta.... Jetson Harlow (as Gian-Paolo Venuta)
- Daniel Enright.... Demian Carthy
- Dylan Trowbridge.... Baker Salsbury
- J. Adam Brown.... John Frazier
- Jamie Robinson.... Marcus Faulkner
- Malin Åkerman.... Tess
- Aaron Poole.... Smitty Jacobson
- Gordon Currie.... Tom Wilkinson
- Stewart Arnott.... Mr. Turner
- Alex Karzis.... Detective Razatos
- Anaya Farrell.... Detective Sabrina
- Ken James.... Chief Lloyd Huxley
- Dan Petronijevic.... Bully #1 (as Daniel Petronijevic)
- Leland Tilden.... Bully #2
- Jack Newman.... Security Guard
- Jennifer Hill.... Nurse Patty Wrenfield
- Michael Zeldin.... Hunter
- Harvey Sokoloff.... Dr. Myers (as Harve Solokoff)
- Jim Thorburn.... Morgue Guard
- Neil Foster.... Coroner
- Barry Flatman.... Mr. Harlow
- K. Trevor.... Caleb
- Derek Boyes.... Frazier's Dad
- David Collins.... Mr. Faulkner
- Robert J. Malyk.... Bio Bob
- Reuben Rox.... Eddie (uncredited)
Plot
A group of high school seniors decide to create a secret society and have fun cruising around campus, pulling pranks and having poker parties in an abandoned boiler room. However, the circle decides to escalate things, by cheating on an exam. They all get "A"'s, but Mr. Spencer Runcie is convinced that they cheated, but just cannot prove it. The circle of friends and every other student who got an "A" are sent before an honor committee, where someone does name one name: Frazier, who is expelled. Although Runcie will not say who the rat is, the circle suspects that it is the nerdy Faulkner. His roommate and fellow circle member, Alex, who has been helping Faulkner impress a girl, Tess, with some love letters, assures his fellow circle members that Faulkner is not the rat.
However, one of the circle members is convinced that Faulker is the rat, and when Faulkner is found in the river and dies soon afterwards, Alex is convinced that he was murdered by someone in the circle. His suspicions are rejected by the administration, until the police get involved, and one circle member, Jetson Harlow, is arrested, but later released. When the circle learns that Smitty was the rat, they decide to kidnap Smitty and force him to confess to the murder. Smitty does so, and confesses to having dressed up as a lady and having some type of sexual relationship with Runcie.
Smitty killed Faulkner because he was convinced that Faulkner knew that he was the rat, and told Runcie about it after the fact. Runcie is wounded in a fight between him and Smitty, and the police arrive in time to arrest Smitty, and to take Runcie to the hospital. Having been able to avoid being expelled for cheating, the remaining circle of friends graduate.