The Recruiter (2008)

• 82%
• 2008
• Documentary
• Edet Belzberg

The Recruiter is a feature-length documentary that travels to the Louisiana coast to capture a phenomenon now occurring throughout the United States - the intense push to recruit new soldiers into the U.S. Army. What distinguishes this story is its remarkable central character, Louisiana's Sergeant First Class Clay Usie, one of the most successful Army recruiters working in America. Shot in verite style, The Recruiter captures Sgt. Usie's day-to-day life - almost entirely dedicated to his mission of finding new soldiers - over a nine-month period in his hometown of Houma, Louisiana. At the same time, the documentary follows the stories of Lauren, Matt, Chris and Bobby, four teenagers recently recruited into the Army by Sgt. Usie. The new recruits spend their last semesters of high school finishing up their studies and preparing themselves for boot camp. After their graduation, the film travels with them to basic training, where they transition from students to soldiers.