The Recruiter

Long conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan have been gradually exhausting the capacities of the American army. The army has had bigger and bigger problems with finding enough new young people, who would be wiling to join the army and after the initial training, go to war zones. The Recruiter follows, for nearly a year, Sergeant Clay Usie, who is one of the most successful Army recruiters in America today, who has lots of talent in how to motivate youngsters to join. Usie is a role model, motivational personal trainer and a friend for several young men and one young woman, who are followed in the film. They all soon find out personally how big the difference is between him and other sergeants at basic training, where they are being trained to be ready for war. The film was directed in cinema vérité style by director Edet Belzberg, whose documentary Children Underground, about homeless children in Romania was screened at the One World Film Festival.