The Inspection Trailer Jeremy Pope Leads Queer Military Drama

Tony and Emmy-nominated actor Jeremy Pope (“One Night in Miami”) stars as Ellis French, a homeless youth who joins the Marine Corps after his mother (Gabrielle Union) disowns him for being gay. Yet during training, Ellis falls for his superior (Raúl Castillo) while enduring the wrath of his sergeant (Bokeem Woodbine) after his sexual orientation is exposed. Written and directed by Elegance Bratton (“Pier Kids,” “My House”), the A24 film “The Inspection” premieres at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival and is set to close the New York Film Festival. Bratton’s semi-autobiographical film was part of the Tribeca Film Institute project, with Bratton’s bio listing him as being thrown out of his mother’s house in New Jersey at age 16, leading him to be homeless for a decade prior to joining the U.S. Marine Corps as a combat cameraman.

“I’m incredibly humbled that my debut feature film will close the New York Film Festival this year,” Bratton said in an earlier statement. “So many of my favorite filmmakers have made an impact as a part of this illustrious program. I’m overwhelmed to be a part of it. And as a New Yorker, this is a dream come true.” NYFF artistic director Dennis Lim called “The Inspection” “an autobiographical movie of rare power and confidence, a debut film for the ages.” “The Inspection” is also produced by costume designer Chester Algernal Gordon, who made history as the first gender non-binary African American costume designer to compete in competition at the Cannes Film Festival with Danielle Lessovitz’s “Port Authority,” produced by Martin Scorsese. Gordon and Bratton executive produced Viceland series “My House” about underground competitive ballroom dancing. Effie Brown’s (“Dear White People”) Gamechanger Films also co-financed and produced “The Inspection.” “The Inspection” premieres in theaters November 18. Check out the trailer below. Here’s A24’s 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.”