Details

Release year: 2022

Storyline

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.

Top credits

Directors

Elegance Bratton

Writers

Elegance Bratton

Cast

Jeremy Pope — Ellis French
Gabrielle Union — Inez French
Bokeem Woodbine — Laws
Raúl Castillo — Rosales

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Did you know

• Filmed over a period of 19 days in Jackson, Mississippi, in 117 degrees Summer temperatures.

• Inspired by Elegance Bratton's true story of being homeless for a decade after being kicked out of the house by his mother for being gay. When he joined the Marines, he needed to retrieve his birth certificate from his mother as depicted in the film. His mother passed away shortly after the film was greenlit but Gabrielle Union was allowed to wear some of her jewelry plus use the actual family Bible as a prop.

• In a 2022 NPR interview, Elegance Bratton spoke about a key scene at the end of the film in which the mother, played by Gabrielle Union, tells French that she cannot love what he is: "That scene in particular was a very intense day for me. I ended that day pretty much an emotional wreck - in tears, screaming, mad, sad, all of it at once. Unfortunately, my mother was killed about three days after the movie was greenlit. So I told Gabby about this. And I just have to always express my gratitude to Gabrielle Union for taking this on. She really helped me to bring my mother back to life. And my mother - unfortunately, we never found closure. We never found peace with each other. She could never accept who I am. But with Gabby's artistry and humanity and, really, activism as well, she just made herself into the ultimate warrior for this pain in my life. She wore my mother's jewelry in this film. She's styled to look like my mother, you know, when she raised me. And that scene in particular - you know, I walked away from that set healed that day, even though it was painful. And I'm hoping that anybody who's ever felt disregarded or anyone has ever felt overlooked in life and who's been told that they're not enough, that they'll walk away from this movie healed as well."