''The Recruiter'' is a 2008 documentary film directed by Edet Belzberg.

Synopsis

One of every four high school graduates cannot pass the basic military entrance exam. Couple that with high obesity and rise of criminal records means there is a much lower chance of getting military recruits. Despite these obstacles recruitment numbers are hitting their marks. The economic crisis is giving way to more willing recruits and many of them have one of the key measures to join, a

high school diploma A high school diploma or high school degree is a North American academic school leaving qualification awarded upon high school graduation. The high school diploma is typically obtained after a course of study lasting four years, from grade 9 to gra ...

. Still the ineligibility rates some military leaders say are, "a matter of

national security National security, or national defence, is the security and defence of a sovereign state, including its citizens, economy, and institutions, which is regarded as a duty of government. Originally conceived as protection against military atta ...

". ''The Recruiter'' takes viewers to the Louisiana coast, where they witness firsthand Sergeant First Class Clay Usie's struggle to enlist new soldiers into the U.S. Army in his hometown of

Houma, Louisiana Houma ( ) is the largest city in, and the parish seat of, Terrebonne Parish in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is also the largest principal city of the Houma– Bayou Cane–Thibodaux metropolitan statistical area. The city's government ...

. Sgt. Usie believes that every American should serve their country and he sets his sights on Lauren, Matt, Bobby, and Chris, four teenagers who think that the Army is the answer for them. Shot in verite style over a nine-month period the film shows the new recruits in their last semesters of high school as they prepare with Sgt. Usie for

boot camp Boot camp may refer to: Training programs * Boot camp (correctional), a type of correctional facility for adolescents, especially in the U.S. penal system * Boot camp, a training camp for learning various types of skills ** Dev bootcamp, a de ...

. After graduation, the film follows three of the four teenagers to basic training where they make the transition from civilians to soldiers. (The fourth teenager, Chris, was shipped out to Iraq early due to high casualties in the war.) The hardships that come with being in the army begin to arise at basic training. One girl has a massive panic attack, while some of the boys try to fake being gay in order to be discharged under " don't ask, don't tell". Once basic training is complete, the film follows Matt and Lauren back to Houma for their one-month leave before they ship out to Iraq and/or Afghanistan. Bobby, who was selected to join

special forces Special forces and special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equip ...

, continues his training. ''The Recruiter'' wraps up with epilogues of where each soldier is now.

Release

It competed in the Documentary Competition at the

2008 Sundance Film Festival The 2008 Sundance Film Festival ran from January 17, 2008 to January 27 in Park City, Utah. It was the 24th iteration of the Sundance Film Festival. The opening night film was ''In Bruges'' and the closing night film was '' CSNY Déjà Vu''. Films ...

under the title ''An American Soldier''.

References

External links

* *
''The Recruiter''
from

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...

Film Details Frustrations of Army Recruiter
from NPR {{DEFAULTSORT:Recruiter American documentary films 2008 films History of the United States Army 2000s English-language films 2000s American films Alfred I. duPont–Columbia University Award winners Houma, Louisiana Films shot in Louisiana Films set in Louisiana Military history of Louisiana Military recruitment