The Inspection

Black Ellis French (Jeremy Pope) came out of the closet at 16, but his mother could not accept it and kicked him out of the house. Almost a decade later, homeless, he decides to give his life meaning by enlisting in the Marine Corps. But once there, he faces a commander who mercilessly wears him down during training camp because he is not yet the monster he should be. Unexpectedly, he gets support from his fellow soldiers, making him feel part of a community for the first time in his life.

It is almost a genre in itself, stories about young, often vulnerable men and women who enter the army and have a hard time there from a brutal drill instructor. Debuting director Elegance Bratton puts a different spin on it by basing this story on his own experiences as a black gay man.