The Inspection
Theatrical release poster
Directed byElegance Bratton
Written byElegance Bratton
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyLachlan Milne
Edited byOriana Soddu
Music byAnimal Collective
Production
companies
Distributed byA24
Release dates
  • September 8, 2022 (2022-09-08) (TIFF)
  • November 18, 2022 (2022-11-18) (United States)
Running time
95 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$3 million[2]
Box office$406,644[3]

The Inspection is a 2022 American drama film written and directed by Elegance Bratton. Inspired by Bratton's real-life experiences, the film follows a young gay black man who defiantly endures brutal training at a Marine Corps boot camp, seeking approval from his homophobic mother. It stars Jeremy Pope, Raúl Castillo, McCaul Lombardi, Aaron Dominguez, Nicholas Logan, Eman Esfandi, Andrew Kai, Aubrey Joseph, Bokeem Woodbine, and Gabrielle Union.

The Inspection had its world premiere at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2022, and was theatrically released in the United States on November 18 by A24. The film received generally positive reviews from critics, with Pope's performance being praised and earning a Golden Globe nomination.

Synopsis

Ellis French enlists in the Marine Corps and ends up at boot camp on Parris Island, South Carolina. He initially meets the physical requirements, but is not as successful in disguising his sexual orientation, making him the target of a near-lethal hazing from training instructor Leland Laws and a fellow recruit, Laurence Harvey.

Cast

Production

In June 2021, it was announced Jeremy Pope, Gabrielle Union, Bokeem Woodbine and Raúl Castillo had joined the cast of the film, with Elegance Bratton directing from a screenplay he wrote, with Gamechanger Films set to produce, and A24 set to produce and distribute.[4][5] Principal photography concluded by November 2021.[6]

Music

Bratton enlisted Animal Collective to compose and perform a score for the film. The soundtrack album, which features a collaboration with Indigo De Souza titled "Wish I Knew You", was released on November 18.[7] Art pop musician Serpentwithfeet composed "The Hands", featured in the film's end credits.[8]

Release

The film had its world premiere at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2022.[9] It also screened at the 60th New York Film Festival on October 14, 2022.[10] It was released in the United States on November 18, 2022.[11]

The film was released for VOD on January 24, 2023, followed by a Blu-ray and DVD release on February 21, 2023.[12]

Reception

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 89% of 140 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.1/10. The website's consensus reads: "Although it's frustratingly clumsy in certain respects, The Inspection is an affecting actors' showcase in service of some truly worthy themes."[13] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 73 out of 100, based on 33 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[14]

Dieter Oßwald, film correspondent for the Guild of German Film Art Theaters, writes that Bratton's impressive feature debut, which he describes as a "queer Full Metal Jacket", tells of a chapter of intolerance, discrimination and homophobia in the U.S., where until 2005 the official motto in the U.S. military was still "don't ask, don't tell" and coming out in uniform was considered unthinkable. In this context, Oßwald quotes an instructor in the film: "If we kicked all the gays out of the Army, there would be no more Marines." Showing such an ambivalent figure is part of the dramaturgical cleverness of the drama, which does not leave conflicts in the cliché, but deliberately presents the contradictions.[15]

Accolades

Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
AARP Movies for Grownups Awards January 28, 2023 Best Supporting Actress Gabrielle Union Nominated [16]
African-American Film Critics Association December 8, 2022 Best Actor Jeremy Pope Won [17]
Alliance of Women Film Journalists January 5, 2023 Best Actor Jeremy Pope Nominated [18]
Black Reel Awards February 6, 2023 Outstanding Independent Film The Inspection Won [19]
Outstanding Director Elegance Bratton Nominated
Outstanding Screenplay Nominated
Outstanding Emerging Director Nominated
Outstanding First Screenplay Won
Outstanding Actor Jeremy Pope Won
Outstanding Breakthrough Performance, Male Won
Outstanding Supporting Actor Bokeem Woodbine Nominated
Outstanding Supporting Actress Gabrielle Union Nominated
Outstanding Ensemble - Casting Director Kim Coleman Nominated
GLAAD Media Awards March 30, 2023 Outstanding Film – Limited Release The Inspection Won [20]
Golden Globe Awards January 10, 2023 Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama Jeremy Pope Nominated [21]
Hollywood Critics Association Creative Arts Awards February 17, 2023 Best First Feature Elegance Bratton Nominated [22]
Houston Film Critics Society February 18, 2023 Best New Filmmaker Elegance Bratton Nominated [23]
Independent Spirit Awards March 4, 2023 Best Lead Performance Jeremy Pope Nominated [24]
Best Supporting Performance Gabrielle Union Nominated
Best First Feature Elegance Bratton, Effie T. Brown, Chester Algernal Gordon Nominated
National Board of Review Awards December 8, 2022 Top Ten Independent Films The Inspection Won [25]
NAACP Image Awards February 25, 2023 Outstanding Independent Motion Picture The Inspection Won [26]
Palm Springs International Film Festival January 13, 2023 Directors to Watch Award Elegance Bratton Won [27]
Santa Barbara International Film Festival January 13, 2023 Virtuoso Award Jeremy Pope Won [28]

References

  1. ^ "The Inspection". Toronto International Film Festival. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
  2. ^ Boone, John (December 1, 2022). "Elegance Bratton Is Ready to Formally Introduce Himself With 'The Inspection' (Exclusive)". Oscars.org. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
  3. ^ "The Inspection (2022) - Financial Information". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved December 16, 2022.
  4. ^ Hipes, Patrick (June 7, 2021). "Jeremy Pope & Gabrielle Union To Star In A24's 'The Inspection'; Elegance Bratton To Write & Direct Autobiographical Tale". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
  5. ^ Kroll, Justin (June 16, 2021). "Bokeem Woodbine And Raúl Castillo Join Jeremy Pope And Gabrielle Union In A24's 'The Inspection'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
  6. ^ Bratton, Elegance (November 20, 2021). "That's a wrap on "The Inspection."". Instagram. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
  7. ^ Bloom, Madison (November 4, 2022). "Animal Collective Share New Song from A24 Film Soundtrack: Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  8. ^ "serpentwithfeet shares "The Hands," a bonus song from The Inspection OST". The FADER. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
  9. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (August 4, 2022). "Toronto Unveils Discovery & Wavelengths Sections; Midnight Madness Opening Includes Roku's 'Weird: The Al Yankovic Story'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
  10. ^ Goldsmith, Jill (August 8, 2022). "New York Film Festival Sets Elegance Bratton's 'The Inspection' With Jeremy Pope, Gabrielle Union As Closing Night Film". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
  11. ^ Chapman, Wilson (August 23, 2022). "TIFF Premiere 'The Inspection' Receives First Trailer From A24, Sets November Release Date". Variety. Retrieved August 24, 2022.
  12. ^ "The Inspection DVD Release Date". www.dvdsreleasedates.com. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  13. ^ "The Inspection". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved December 18, 2022. Edit this at Wikidata
  14. ^ "The Inspection". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  15. ^ "The Inspection – Programmkino.de" (in German). Retrieved June 18, 2023.
  16. ^ Associated Press (December 1, 2022). "Jamie Lee Curtis to Receive AARP Movies for Grownups Career Achievement Award". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
  17. ^ Complex, Valerie (December 8, 2022). "The Woman King Tops The African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) List of the Ten Best Films of the Year". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 8, 2022. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
  18. ^ Tangcay, Jazz (January 5, 2023). "'Banshees of Inisherin,' 'Everything Everywhere,' 'Women Talking' Tie for Most Wins at Alliance of Women Film Journalists Awards". Variety. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
  19. ^ Complex, Valerie (December 15, 2022). "Black Reel Awards Nominations Announced For 23rd Annual Ceremony; 'The Woman King' And 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever' Lead With 14 Nominations". Deadline. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
  20. ^ "The Nominees for the 34th Annual GLAAD Media Awards". www.glaad.org. January 18, 2023. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
  21. ^ Lang, Brent; Moreau, Jordan (December 12, 2022). "Golden Globes 2023: Complete Nominations List". Variety. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
  22. ^ Anderson, Erik (December 8, 2022). "Everything Everywhere All At Once, Top Gun: Maverick lead inaugural Hollywood Critics Association Creative Arts Awards nominations". AwardsWatch. Archived from the original on December 8, 2022. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
  23. ^ Haar, Peter Vonder (January 11, 2023). "Everything is Coming up Banshees as the Houston Film Critics Society Announces its 2022 Nominees". Houston Press. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
  24. ^ Lattanzio, Ryan (November 22, 2022). "2023 Film Independent Spirit Award Nominations Announced (Updating Live)". IndieWire. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
  25. ^ Davis, Clayton; Moreau, Jordan (December 8, 2022). "Top Gun: Maverick Named Best Picture by National Board of Review". Variety. Archived from the original on December 8, 2022. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
  26. ^ Jackson, Angelique (January 12, 2023). "'Abbott Elementary,' 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever' and 'The Woman King' Dominate NAACP Image Award Nominations". Variety. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
  27. ^ Hammond, Pete (December 8, 2022). "'The Woman King's' Viola Davis Set For Chairman's Award At Palm Springs Film Festival". Deadline. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
  28. ^ Scott Feinberg (November 1, 2022). "Once' Duo, Jeremys Pope and Strong Among 8 Tapped for Virtuosos Award". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 24, 2023.

External links

Awards for The Inspection
Categories