The Recruiter
Synopsis
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 film follows the stories of Lauren, Matt, and Bobby, three 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 for boot camp. After their graduation, the film travels with them to basic training, where they transition from students to soldiers.
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The Filmmakers
Edet Belzberg Director
Oscar-nominated documentary filmmaker Edet Belzberg's films are distinguished by her choice of subject, in-depth treatment of place, and elegant storytelling. The MacArthur Foundation, in selecting Belzberg as a MacArthur Fellow and recipient of its "Genius Grant," praised her for her "raw, graceful, and insightful" films. Born in Los Angeles, Belzberg received a B.A. (1991) from the University of Colorado, Boulder, and an M.A. (1997) from Columbia University's prestigious School of International and Public Affairs. She has been a frequent lecturer at Columbia's School of Journalism and has taught at New York University's famous Tisch School of the Arts (2001). The creative force behind New York production company Propeller Films, she continues to take on a wide range of subjects and make award-winning documentaries.
Alan Oxman Producer
Alan Oxman's editing credits include WELCOME TO THE DOLLHOUSE (Grand Jury Prize, Sundance Film Festival), HAPPINESS (International Critic's Award, Cannes Film Festival) and STORYTELLING (Cannes Film Festival). He co-edited UNZIPPED (Audience Award, Sundance Film Festival) which won the A.C.E. Award for Best Documentary Editing. He won two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Documentary Editing on the PBS series CITY LIFE. He co-produced the documentary film CHILDREN UNDERGROUND (Special Jury Prize, Sundance Film Festival & Best Documentary at the IFP Gotham Awards) and was the co-producer and supervising editor of CONTROL ROOM (Grand Jury Prize, Full Frame Film Festival). He was recently the consulting editor and post-production supervisor of NO END IN SIGHT (Special Jury Prize, Sundance Film Festival). Alan teaches film editing at The Edit Center in NYC and is an adjunct professor in the graduate film department of Columbia University.
Festivals & Awards
Sundance Film Festival
2008
Nominee - Grand Jury Prize
Reviews
“Like documentary masters such as Frederick Wiseman, filmmaker Edet Belzberg pierces the armor of a powerful institution by smartly letting her camera capture what is going on. Devoid of any political slants, THE RECRUITER is an even-handed, complex portrait of, as Walter Cronkite might have said, the way it is.”
-The Hollywood Reporter
“Kindness is not usually a quality associated with political documentaries, but it may be precisely what rescues Edet Belzberg's insightful, absorbing film about military recruitment from being shipped off to a desert of indifference. A portrait of a crack Army recruiter and several of the oh-so-young people he convinces to join the service, THE RECRUITER doesn't pander or judge, and as such will make itself palatable to a much wider audience than a war doc might otherwise. Theatrical prospects may be limited, but resonance should be far-reaching.”
-Variety