Half Nelson – reviewed by John Hang
Can you save someone’s life from spiraling out of control when you cannot even save your own? This is the basic premise behind this indie darling and Oscar mentioned film Half Nelson.
An inner city teacher forms an unlikely bond with the student who discovers his drug addiction and the two characters struggle to save each other.
STORY: Ryan Gosling plays Dan Dunne, the ghetto school teacher who also coaches the school’s female basketball team. This is where Dan Dunne meets Drey (Shareeka Epps), a kid trying to stay off a life pedaling drugs for the man who is responsible for her brothers’ incarceration. Drey discovers her coach cooking some cocaine in the bathroom and Dan feels the obligation as her teacher to try and kick his habit. A story like this is very powerful and dramatic, but the movie has a devilish sarcastic underscore and keeps from preaching the dangers of drugs. Many have mention Ryan Gosling’s name for Oscar consideration and I will admit this film and his performance in The Notebook have persuaded me to believe Mr. Gosling as one of our premiere thespians of our generation. Like all “indie” films, Half Nelson ends with a scene left for discussion and open interpretation, so I’ve gone back and forward on what I believe happened.
STYLE: film runs at 106 minutes and feels right, shot on 35mm and utilizes some very small lenses. For this reason, many scenes shot by Director Ryan Fleck were out of focus but it also drew an audience even closer to the characters because the intimacy of camera shots. Some nice shots of students reading historical facts with the green chalk board in the background and a medium shot with a student cropped left of the scene. The use of an actual urban classroom and real apartment added another dimension to a film that appealed to me.
SUMMARY: highly recommended! Go look for a screening of this, it provides the necessary qualities to demonstrate the dangers of drugs without getting all preachy. Small supporting cast which provided nice story breaks and Ryan Gosling pours his heart into this role. I can sympathize with Drey, coming from a urban school myself, and I would like to believe many of my teachers were on some sort of drug. Half Nelson also seems to be a commentary on the status of our public schools and what our kids are being subjected to. There is a nice little tidbit on something called the Twinkie Defense which I found hilarious and there is no over-exaggerated drug binge that makes your eyes want to vomit. Overall, put your money into supporting this film and envy the teacher-student relationship you’ve always wanted but were too stupid to support your passion for the subject.
