Introduction

The Inspection is a 2022 American drama film written and directed by Elegance Bratton.

Inspired by Bratton’s real-life experiences, the film follows a young gay black man who defiantly endures brutal training at a US Marine Corps boot camp, seeking approval from his homophobic mother. It stars Jeremy Pope, Raúl Castillo, McCaul Lombardi, Aaron Dominguez, Nicholas Logan, Eman Esfandi, Andrew Kai, Aubrey Joseph, Bokeem Woodbine, and Gabrielle Union.

Outline

Ellis French enlists in the US Marine Corps and ends up at boot camp on Parris Island, South Carolina. He initially meets the physical requirements, but is not as successful in disguising his sexual orientation, making him the target of a near-lethal hazing from training instructor Leland Laws and a fellow recruit, Laurence Harvey.

Cast

• Jeremy Pope as Ellis French
• Raúl Castillo as Rosales
• Bokeem Woodbine as Leland Laws
• Gabrielle Union as Inez French
• McCaul Lombardi as Laurence Harvey
• Aaron Dominguez as Castro
• Nicholas Logan as Brooks
• Eman Esfandi as Ismail
• Andrew Kai as Label
• Aubrey Joseph as Boles

Production

In June 2021, it was announced Jeremy Pope, Gabrielle Union, Bokeem Woodbine and Raúl Castillo had joined the cast of the film, with Elegance Bratton directing from a screenplay he wrote, with Gamechanger Films set to produce, and A24 set to produce and distribute. Principal photography concluded by November 2021.

Music

Bratton enlisted Animal Collective to compose and perform a score for the film. The soundtrack album, which features a collaboration with Indigo De Souza titled “Wish I Knew You”, was released on 18 November.

Release

The film had its world premiere at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival on 08 September 2022. It also screened at the 60th New York Film Festival on 14 October 2022. It was released in the United States on 18 November 2022.

The film was released for VOD on 24 January 2023, followed by a Blu-ray and DVD release on 21 February 2023.

Trivia

• Inspired by Elegance Bratton’s true story of being homeless for a decade after being kicked out of the house by his mother for being gay.
• When he joined the Marines, he needed to retrieve his birth certificate from his mother as depicted in the film.
• His mother passed away shortly after the film was greenlit but Gabrielle Union was allowed to wear some of her jewellery plus use the actual family Bible as a prop.
• Filmed over a period of 19 days in Jackson, Mississippi, in 117 degrees Summer temperatures.
• The film is set in 2003, yet they are watching Jarhead (2005).

Production & Filming Details

• Director(s):
  • Elegance Bratton
• Producer(s):
  • Chester Algernal Gordon … producer (p.g.a.)
  • Elegance Bratton … additional producer
  • Effie Brown … producer (as Effie T. Brown) (p.g.a.)
  • Chris Quintos Cathcart … executive producer (as Chris Quintos)
  • Kim Coleman … executive producer
  • Artisha Mann Cooper … line producer
  • Nina Fialkow … executive producer
  • Steven Fine … co-producer
  • Jason Korstad … line producer
  • Adam Lewis … executive producer
  • Melony Lewis … executive producer
  • David Paradice … executive producer
  • Regina K. Scully … executive producer (as Regina Scully)
  • Holly Shakoor Fleischer … executive producer
  • Valerie Steinberg … executive producer
  • Gabrielle Union … executive producer
  • Angela White … line producer
  • Jennifer Wilson … executive producer
  • Jamie Wolf … executive producer
• Writer(s):
  • Elegance Bratton
• Music:
  • Animal Collective
• Cinematography:
  • Lachlan Milne … director of photography
• Editing:
  • Oriana Soddu
• Production:
  • A24 (presents)
  • Gamechanger Films
  • Freedom Principle (with)
  • Oorah Productions (copyright holder)
• Distributor(s):
  • A24 (United Kingdom, 2023)(theatrical)
  • Empire Entertainment (South Africa, 2023)(theatrical)
  • Paradiso Entertainment (Netherlands, 2023)(theatrical)
  • X Verleih AG (Germany, 2023)(theatrical)
  • A24 (United States, 2022)
  • Cinemundo (Portugal, 2023)
  • Roadshow Films (Australia, 2023)
  • levelFILM (Canada, 2022)
• Release Date: 08 September 2022 (Toronto International Film Festival, Canada).
• Running time: 95 minutes.
• Rating: 15.
• Country: US.
• Language: English.

Video Link(s)