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 is screening as part of the Honolulu African American Film Festival 2023. at the Doris Duke Theatre / Honolulu Museum of Art.