All Screenings: Pre-recorded introduction from director Elegance Bratton
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 support in this new community, giving him a hard-earned sense of belonging that will shape his identity and forever change his life.
“Bratton crafts a raw and surreal experience with THE INSPECTION. It’s a deeply personal story, and he should be given applause for the level of vulnerability present in this story.” —Valerie Complex, Deadline “Bratton…is not solely interested in a litany of struggle. He fills THE INSPECTION with style, with spiky humor and alluring edge. It’s a promising feature debut.” —Richard Lawson, Vanity Fair “This is a human story, as messy and complex and maddening as any ever told, and while Bratton makes it his own (how could he not?), the generosity with which he shares it with us make it special indeed.” —Kate Erbland, IndieWire