''The Recruiter'' is a 2008 documentary film directed by

Edet Belzberg Edet Belzberg is a documentary filmmaker. She won a 2005 MacArthur Fellowship. Biography Belzberg received a B.A. in 1991 from the University of Colorado, Boulder and an M.A. in 1997 from the School of International and Public Affairs, Columbi ...

Synopsis

One of every four high school graduates cannot pass the basic military entrance exam. Couple that with high

obesity Obesity is a medical condition, sometimes considered a disease, in which excess body fat has accumulated to such an extent that it may negatively affect health. People are classified as obese when their body mass index (BMI)—a person's ...

and rise of

criminal record A criminal record, police record, or colloquially RAP sheet (Record of Arrests and Prosecutions) is a record of a person's criminal history. The information included in a criminal record and the existence of a criminal record varies between coun ...

s means there is a much lower chance of getting military recruits. Despite these obstacles recruitment numbers are hitting their marks. The

economic crisis An economy is an area of the production, distribution and trade, as well as consumption of goods and services. In general, it is defined as a social domain that emphasize the practices, discourses, and material expressions associated with th ...

is giving way to more willing recruits and many of them have one of the key measures to join, a high school diploma. Still the ineligibility rates some military leaders say are, "a matter of national security". ''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 The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

in his hometown of Houma, Louisiana. 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. 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 Panic attacks are sudden periods of intense fear and discomfort that may include palpitations, sweating, chest pain or chest discomfort, shortness of breath, trembling, dizziness, numbness, confusion, or a feeling of impending doom or of losing ...

, while some of the boys try to fake being gay in order to be discharged under "

don't ask, don't tell "Don't ask, don't tell" (DADT) was the official United States policy on military service of non-heterosexual people, instituted during the Clinton administration. The policy was issued under Department of Defense Directive 1304.26 on Decemb ...

". 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 Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...

and/or

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

. Bobby, who was selected to join special forces, 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''. Fil ...

under the title ''An American Soldier''.

References

External links

* *
''The Recruiter''
from HBO
Film Details Frustrations of Army Recruiter
from

NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

{{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