The Recruiter

About the Project

The Recruiter is a cinéma-vérité, feature-length documentary that travels to the Louisiana coast to present Sergeant First Class Clay Usie, one of the most successful Army recruiters working in America. Part surrogate father and part motivational coach, Sgt. Usie offers a very different vision of the army than is usually portrayed. The film interweaves the dedication and determination of this consummate professional, with the stories of Lauren, Matt, and Bobby, three teenagers whom Sgt. Usie actively recruits. Shot over a 9-month period, the film follows these three possible conscripts as they complete their last semesters of high school and weigh their options. After their graduation, the film travels with them to basic training, where they transition from students to soldiers. After seeing the day-to-day lives and realistic possibilities of these young people, whatever preconceptions you may have of their best options will be put to the test.

The filmmakers and audience engagement team has brought the film into seven high schools and connected them with teachers in countless other classrooms throughout the country. Their goal is to bring the film and curriculum into classrooms to supplement students’ study of the war, and to connect their academic analysis to the experiences and questions that they are confronting in their own lives. In wealthier communities, those that have absorbed less of the war’s direct impact, they hope to help students see the decisions and circumstances of their peers in poorer communities with greater perspective and compassion. In these poorer communities, such as Manassas High School (TN), and Christopher Columbus High School (NY), where the impact of war is felt through JROTC (Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps) programs, military recruiters, and the disproportionate rates of military enlistment, they hope to inspire discussion that enables students to make independent and informed choices when confronted by the glossy promises of war. In all communities, they want to help students further understand the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the chapter that their generation represents in the unfolding of history.

The Fledgling Fund Impact

The Fledgling Fund is pleased to support the outreach and audience engagement for The Recruiter. This powerful film paints a picture of the recruiting process that is often non seen - by parents, students or teachers. While the film and the outreach and audience engagement campaign show a real respect for military service, their goal of transparent and honest recruiting is an important one.