Upamanyu Biswas
The 2022 drama ‘The Inspection’ uncovers the bond between Ellis French, a young Black gay man who enlists in the military, and his drill instructor, Rosales, who helps him overcome the discrimination and challenges placed in his way. During the boot camp training, Ellis is picked on and bullied by his squad leader, Laurence Harvey, and gunnery sergeant, Leland Laws, for being gay. As a result, the young man finds solace in the encouragement and strength displayed by Rosales, who reminds him of his ambitions and pushes him to strive for better despite being knocked down repeatedly!
Rosales: The Fictional Marine With a Heart of Gold
Rosales is a fictional character in ‘The Inspection’ who plays a pivotal role in developing Ellis French from a fledgling rookie to a hardened soldier who rises above his torment. As the film is a semi-autobiographical tale of writer and director Elegance Bratton, he created the Marine by drawing inspiration from several people he met while serving in the military. In the narrative, while everyone pulls back from the protagonist because of his sexuality, Rosales is there to prop him up and ensure he doesn’t lose faith in people. The drill instructor is a valuable confidante and a mentor to Ellis during a tough period in his life.
In an interview, Raúl Castillo, who plays Rosales, said, “Elegance and I did speak at length about the Rosaleses in his life. He did take the name Rosales from someone he served with, but the character is a composite of several people Elegance came across as a marine and in boot camp. I loved having access to Elegance before we started filming and while making the film, he shared his personal anecdotes. He was an incredible resource. I’d never worked on a film where you had the greatest expert on the story behind the lens. We discussed the character at length. Elegance helped me draw up a backstory to serve me and establish that relationship.”
At the center of Rosales’ strength is his ability to identify the maltreatment Ellis is being subjected to and what he needs to do in turn to build him back up. Their relationship, while sexually charged initially, transcends those boundaries to form an intimate bond of encouragement, perseverance, and brotherhood that Ellis has not experienced before in his life. The young man has been cast away forever because of his ethnicity and sexuality, on whose grounds people ostracize him. That changes the moment he meets the drill sergeant, who reminds him there is more to him than meets the eye and that he should never forget the responsibility of being in the army.
Rosales Identifies the Strength in Ellis
Although Rosales is undermined by the authority of his superior, Leland Laws, the Marine continues to fight for what he believes in regardless of the cost it might entail on his career. He is incredibly loyal to the Marines but is firmly against the hazing subjected to Ellis, finding it an ugly and unedifying practice to crush someone’s soul. Instead, he wishes to help the young man by growing his confidence, self-worth, and self-acceptance. According to Raúl Castillo, “Rosales sees potential and a fire in French that perhaps he recognizes as familiar.” Before Ellis sees his own value, his mentor picks up on it first, encouraging him to discover it without giving up, no matter what.
Castillo elaborated further on the connection between the two men in an interview with The New York Times, where he said, “What appealed to me about Rosales was this familiar relationship between two men of color in this institution, and the way that Rosales sees potential in French and is compassionate toward him. He has a real sense of justice and a sensitivity to power dynamics. He’s someone who looks out for an underdog. As a child of immigrants myself, I’m always really sensitive to the people in the room who have the least power, and I feel like I try to look out for those people.”
He added, “That really moved me in this story line. I think Rosales has a similar kind of relationship to power. I think he respects the power that he has. But I don’t think that he believes in abusing it. That’s where the friction between Rosales and Laws stems from. They view power in totally different ways.” While the gunnery sergeant trains Ellis through harsher and more unethical means, the protagonist is backed up by Rosales, who always has his back. The drill instructor may not exist in reality, but his inspirations were based on Elegance Bratton’s time in the military and the people who encouraged him through that journey. However, despite his real-life roots, the Marine is confined to the realm of fiction.
Read More: Inell C. Jones Tribute on The Inspection: How Did Elegance Bratton’s Mother Die?
