(Photo Credits: Screengrab from A24’s Official YouTube Account)

Are you now or have you ever been a homosexual?

In The Inspector, we follow the story of Ellis French’s (played by actor Jeremy Pope; The Normal Heart, Pose) journey to becoming a marine as well as his tumultuous relationship with his mother Inez (played by actress Gabrielle Union; Truth Be Told, L.A.’s Finest). In the movie trailer, Ellis can be heard saying: “My mom, she won’t even talk to me. Most of my friends are dead or in jail. If I die in this uniform, I’m a hero to somebody.”

And so, Ellis enlisted in the Marine Corps where he was sent to train at a boot camp located on Parris Island, South Carolina. Unfortunately, Ellis had been unable to disguise his sexual orientation, thus, he found himself on the receiving end of his training instructor Leland Laws’ (Bokeem Woodbine; Halo, Fargo) near-lethal hazing and harassment. It didn’t help that his fellow recruit, Laurence Harvey (McCaul Lombardi; Port Authority, Anywhere with You), eagerly jumped on the bandwagon.

The film’s official blurb reads:

In Elegance Bratton’s deeply moving film inspired by his own story, a young, gay Black man, rejected by his mother and with few options for his future, decides to join the Marines, doing whatever it takes to succeed in a system that would cast him aside. But even as he battles deep-seated prejudice and the grueling routines of basic training, he finds unexpected camaraderie, strength, and support in this new community, giving him a hard-earned sense of belonging that will shape his identity and forever change his life.

Check out the film’s trailer below:

The film also stars Raúl Castillo, Nicholas Logan, Eman Esfandi, and Aaron Dominguez to name a few. The Inspector, which was written and directed by Elegance Bratton who’s known for My House (2018), and Pier Kids (2019), is currently playing in select theaters in the US. It will hit theaters in Canada and worldwide on December 2, 2022. Check here for more information.

Speaking to NPR, Bratton said of his film, “The Inspection” is 100% autobiographical when it comes to the hopes, fears, desires, and motivations of its lead character, even if it’s a situation that I personally haven’t been in.” He added, “But when it comes to the relationship with his mother, it’s ripped directly out of my life – all words that were said, dynamics that were real. But even that requires a bit of finessing when making it into a motion picture.” Read the interview in full here.

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