Ellis French (Jeremy Pope), a young gay Black man, is already battle-hardened by a decade of homelessness and the rejection of his mother Inez (Gabrielle Union, phenomenal) when he decides to join the US Marines. But the daily fight to make it through basic training, with the institutionally sanctioned bullying that kicks up a gear once his sexuality becomes known, is a challenge even for Ellis’s finely tuned survival instincts.
This well-acted outsider’s-eye view of the inner workings of the US armed forces is fiercely candid, in its condemnation of the brutality that is enmeshed in the training programme, and in its celebration of the bonds and brotherhood that grow between fellow cadets. The confidence that director Elegance Bratton shows in navigating this closed world comes from his own experience. Before he was the director of films such as Pier Kids, an award-winning documentary about the homeless LGBTQ+ community in New York, he too escaped a life on the street by serving in the Marines. Impressive stuff.
