Little-known indie actor Ryan Gosling has almost
single-handedly springboarded this small indie drama into
the forefront of the best movies of the year. While there
are numerous elements of Half Nelson worthy of acclaim
and awards, it is Gosling's powerful performance that makes
the movie truly great. It easily makes the short must-see
list for 2006.
Half Nelson is the intimate portrait
of inner city middle school teacher Dan Dunne (Gosling)
who inspires his students in the classroom, and tries to
be a good role model to them outside the school walls. Unfortunately,
Dan has a bit of a dirty secret: he's a crack addict, having
been driven to drugs by years of working in a flawed system.
When Drey (Shareeka Epps), one of his favorite students,
discovers his problem, their relationship is catapulted
to an entirely new level.
The main conflict of the film is an interesting
subject not dealt with in many films, even those about inner-city
education. Dan's struggle to be a good teacher and role model
while being forced at the same time to cope with the hardships
of the education system, is a powerful and unique situation.
His dedication to the students, and his caring for their futures,
leads to so much stress that he can only deal with it by ruining
his own. He defies the curriculum and teaches dialectics,
which is the study of opposing forces in all things. At the
same time, his life parallels his teachings, and his drug
addiction is constantly fighting against his desire to help
his students.
As I'm sure you can guess, Gosling is incredible,
but teenage Epps is equally powerful in her portrayal of
Drey. Both performances are among the year's best, and the
pair's stellar chemistry makes them even more effective.
Gosling does a phenomenal job of remaining true to the character
and never being a cliche, with the subtlety required to
pull off a difficult role like this. Epps displays a wisdom
beyond her years (though she was sixteen or seventeen when
the film was made) and delivers a performance on an equal
level as Gosling, who has received most of the praise for
the film. This is the first major appearance for Epps and
I hope to see in many more films, while it is the first time
Gosling has received this much acclaim for a performance,
and been given a role with so much potential.
The grainy film, and handheld style of the
film heighten the mood, adding a gritty element to a story
already rife with darkness and struggle. Director Ryan Fleck
should be praised for his vision, and for telling this effective
story, which he wrote with Anna Boden. Their ability to
look within a troubled character and create an unlikely
bond with another equally complex person makes Half
Nelson
one of the most well-written and directed films to come from
the indie scene in quite some time. It's a cliche thrown
about far too often, but for Half Nelson I don't
believe it is unwarranted to say that it is truly a must-see
film.
