Identity is tough as it is, but issues of sexuality can really confuse it all the more when you’re still grappling with who you are. Compounding the ideas of sexuality and being in the closet is the often homophobic military and parents that aren’t willing to understand. All that emotional stew, the fear of rejection, being accepted, being outed, and more is the backbone of “The Inspection,” A24’s new drama by Elegance Bratton. Featuring what we called a star-making turn from Jeremy Pope, “The Inspection” is about a young gay man who is scorned by his bigoted mother (Gabrielle Union) and unsure of what he should do with his life, he joins the military, which is obviously not always welcoming to gay people.
The film has a terrific cast that includes Pope, Union, plus Raúl Castillo, McCaul Lombardi, Aaron Dominguez, Nicholas Logan, Eman Esfandi, Andrew Kai, Aubrey Joseph, and Bokeem Woodbine.
The movie is filled with many emotional traumas and was difficult for many involved. Gabrielle Union even said she had a difficult time making the film and relating to her role because the character’s homophobia repelled her. “I always look at homophobes as trash,” she said in a recent Yahoo interview.
Written and directed by Elegance Bratton, his feature film directorial debut, “The Inspection, premiered at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival and arrives in November. Here’s the official synopsis:
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.
“The Inspection” opens November 18, 2022, and today on National Coming Out Day, A24 has released a new trailer-like video/featurette. Watch it below.
