Doc. BAMA RUSH-Skewed Film that Lambasts Sororities Directed by Rachel Fleit

Having grown up with sisters, the thought of moving away from home and into a home full of sorority sisters seemed a sorry scenario with no appeal.  Still, the romantic notions that pique the desire to rush to join a sorority house seemed enticing. This doc. examines the ordeals for gaining acceptance into Greek-dom on the campus of Alabama (AL).  Actual life once inside its kingdom was not apparent.  At the time of the great gold rush when I matriculated, cell phones, TikTok and social media crazes were not yet on the horizon. Now, young people cannot conceive of existing without considerable time spent on social media. The influence of sites such as TikTok are so omnipresent as to impact heavily on how teens and young adults perceive themselves and society.  The clandestine rituals intrinsic to sorority selection system have been revealed to a great extent via social media.  For young women with aspirations of seeking a shot at a spot as a certified sister, they must create an overwhelming number of videos promoting themselves in numerous outfits and scenarios.  Desire for acceptance is universal and understandable and avails itself of an intriguing documentary.  However, dir. Rachel Fleit's film is a debacle for numerous reasons.  First, Fleit turns the camera inward, making herself a central focus that is self-serving while steering the storytelling away from its subjects into a self-analysis of her trauma stemming from not fitting in as young woman with alopecia; complete hair loss.  Fleit repeatedly drew analogies between her feelings of inadequacies and not belonging with the women in the film seeking solace by rushing. Second, the young women Fleit follows extensively share their personal anxieties and mental health issues. Rather than a voyeuristic peek into a surreptitious society, the film takes on an intense and inappropriate scrutiny of vulnerable women dealing with anguish.  The film features female professionals hired as mentors to steer girls through the process of rushing. This reenforces the notion that being accepted into a sorority is of consummate importance and necessitates special training.  Relevant topics worthy of further coverage were sadly brushed aside in a scurried manner.  Racial relations and minimal integration in sororities and on campus would have been far more compelling.  Referencing "The Machine" on AL's campus alluded to an omnipotence wielded by sororities and fraternities to be feared, but nothing was unveiled and only served to further dilute this already convoluted and misguided expose.  Fleit may have felt she shed light on the feminine mystique in search of sorority rushing but failed to make a charming or clever documentary.  The result is a desultory investigation which looks at women with issues stemming to a great extent from believing their looks don't measure up to high level stratifications set by accepted standards of beauty.   Put the brakes on watching BAMA RUSH.