The son of a disapproving mother heads off to boot camp to "make himself a man" — big quotes around that phrase — in "The Inspection," a tough drama that takes a while to find its center.
Even if the movie spends most of its time dealing with the ins and outs of basic training, its depiction of the relationship between mother and child is what, eventually, represents the beating heart of the film.
"The Inspection" marks the highly personal feature film debut of writer-director Elegance Bratton. While it traffics in "Full Metal Jacket"-style depictions of the relentlessness of military training — territory Bratton himself knows well, given his own experience as a Marine — it's just as much about acceptance and identity, and the tough love of a closed-minded parent.
