Half Nelson
Ryan Fleck directs this original story from a screenplay written by him and Anna Boden. I call it original because it is not one of those feel-good films where the teacher helps rescue a student in trouble.
Ryan Gosling is amazing as Dan Dunne who is a teacher of history as well as the school's basketball coach. He teaches eighth graders in a predominately minority school. He doesn't like to follow rules so his method of teaching is a bit off the straight and narrow. This does not sit well with the school's principal. Dan likes to think that he is helping the kids but he needs a lot of help himself. He smokes crack and snorts cocaine.
Dan befriends one of his students, a young girl named Drey (splendidly played by Shareeka Epps). No, there is nothing sexual about their relationship. He just takes a special interest in her. Her mother has to work hard to make ends meet and Drey has a brother in prison who is taking the fall for the local dealer named Frank (played by a very good Anthony Mackie). Dan doesn't want Drey to get too close to Frank. But since Drey has found out Dan's secret she feels that he isn't anyone who should be preaching to people about how to live.
There really isn't a whole lot of plot in this film. We just see Dan trying to go about his day to day life as best he can. But it is difficult for him to cope with even ordinary things and he has to use dope to get him through. As the film progresses we watch Dan spiraling downward. Something that I really liked about Half Nelson is that throughout the film "lessons" - which tell of important events as chronicled by the left - are interspersed. There is more of that during the part in the film in which Dan joins his family for dinner. I commend Fleck for putting this into his film.
Half Nelson is a good film but it is not a great one. I think that the critics have overpraised it. It felt like something was missing and for that I fault the writers. But the young Ms. Epps is a very promising talent. And I cannot say enough about Gosling. Just watching his face in some of the scenes made me uncomfortable because you can really feel his pain. At this point in the year he has given the best performance by any actor. I am sure that will change because we are heading into "Oscar season" but I am certain that his will definitely be one of the best and I can see him winning an Independent Spirit award next year. I was mesmerized by Gosling when I first saw him in The Believer and he keeps growing as an actor. I look forward to seeing what he does next.
Ryan Gosling is amazing as Dan Dunne who is a teacher of history as well as the school's basketball coach. He teaches eighth graders in a predominately minority school. He doesn't like to follow rules so his method of teaching is a bit off the straight and narrow. This does not sit well with the school's principal. Dan likes to think that he is helping the kids but he needs a lot of help himself. He smokes crack and snorts cocaine.
Dan befriends one of his students, a young girl named Drey (splendidly played by Shareeka Epps). No, there is nothing sexual about their relationship. He just takes a special interest in her. Her mother has to work hard to make ends meet and Drey has a brother in prison who is taking the fall for the local dealer named Frank (played by a very good Anthony Mackie). Dan doesn't want Drey to get too close to Frank. But since Drey has found out Dan's secret she feels that he isn't anyone who should be preaching to people about how to live.
There really isn't a whole lot of plot in this film. We just see Dan trying to go about his day to day life as best he can. But it is difficult for him to cope with even ordinary things and he has to use dope to get him through. As the film progresses we watch Dan spiraling downward. Something that I really liked about Half Nelson is that throughout the film "lessons" - which tell of important events as chronicled by the left - are interspersed. There is more of that during the part in the film in which Dan joins his family for dinner. I commend Fleck for putting this into his film.
Half Nelson is a good film but it is not a great one. I think that the critics have overpraised it. It felt like something was missing and for that I fault the writers. But the young Ms. Epps is a very promising talent. And I cannot say enough about Gosling. Just watching his face in some of the scenes made me uncomfortable because you can really feel his pain. At this point in the year he has given the best performance by any actor. I am sure that will change because we are heading into "Oscar season" but I am certain that his will definitely be one of the best and I can see him winning an Independent Spirit award next year. I was mesmerized by Gosling when I first saw him in The Believer and he keeps growing as an actor. I look forward to seeing what he does next.
posted by Film Fanatic | 3:43 PM
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