Half Nelson

Rating

Director

Ryan Fleck

Screenplay

Ryan Fleck, Anna Boden

Length

106 min.

Starring

Ryan Gosling, Shareeka Epps, Anthony Mackie

MPAA Rating

R (For drug content throughout, language and some sexuality)

Review

Teaching allows a society to imprint its knowledge and beliefs on its children. Half Nelson follows an idealistic teacher whose personal demons work to undermine his relationship with a struggling and tormented student.

Ryan Gosling delivers the kind of leading performance of which we don’t see enough. His character, Dan Dunne, is an inner city school teacher who works hard to instill in his students his love of history. He hopes to ensure that they understand and learn from the mistakes of the past and become good stewards of the future, much to the chagrin of the school administrators who want him to teach specific topics to the students.

As many school teachers, Dunne doubles as the girls’ basketball coach. One of his players, Drey (Shareeka Epps) catches him strung out on drugs and sprawled on the floor of the girls bathroom after one of their games. After getting to his feet, insisting that he’s ok, he offers to give her a ride home. Each sees in the other an opportunity.

Drey is the product of a single-parent family. Her mother works long hours as a paramedic leaving Drey virtually alone. Dunne is just as lonely, having failed in his previous relationship.

Though we cannot say for certain that Drey hopes for a relationship with her teacher, Epps’ fine performance gives us the perception that it’s a possibility. Her interest in Dunne feels like a broad balance between friendship and love. Dunne isn’t conflicted. He sees his opportunity to make a difference in the life of this girl, becoming more like the rest of his family who are active environmentalists and activists. However, the lure of narcotics is too strong and threatens to rip this significant opportunity out form under him.

Gosling is outstanding, giving one of the year’s best performances. Unlike your Stand and Deliver style teachers, Gosling’s illegal drug usage hampers his ability to act rationally. We’re not left with a hyper-inspirational performance but one with immeasurable nuance and vulnerability. That he struggles to achieve his goal is more moving than anything put forth in similar projects. We have an attractive, smart and passionate teacher whose own failings begin to pull him under. Gosling takes every inch of this character and enlivens it for the audience, drawing them into his personal struggle and hoping for some measure of success, even if it is just to exorcise those drug demons.

Ryan Fleck’s debut film, co-written with new screenwriter Anna Boden, is an auspicious one. Seldom do talented directors put forth a film that feels so important yet doesn’t pander to an Indie marketplace. Films like Little Miss Sunshine try hard to blend commercial viability with an independent veneer, making them seem more important than they really are. Half Nelson refuses to bow to such levels and presents its story quietly, efficiently and effectively.

Review Written

February 2, 2007