Review of Half Nelson (1985) by David P — 02 Apr 2009

The problem with watching films at home is that you often find yourself pausing to make a quick pit stop, grab a beverage or pick up the phone, harming the illusion of continuity one might normally get in a theatre setting.

The antidote to this is finding really good films to watch at home. Even if a comet had crashed through my living room window last night I still would have sat there in stunned silence, transfixed by the wonder of "Half Nelson".

Ryan Gosling (who I still can't believe was once "Young Hercules') plays Dan Dunne, a creative history teacher in an inner city school who is well liked by his students and tries to keep up appearances, despite being saddled with a pretty heavy drug addiction.

He develops an attachment to one of his students (Shareeka Epps) who is struggling with her own challenges and both of them end up serving as an inadvertent support system for one another. So what makes this film so compelling? Well, for one, Ryan Gosling is fantastic.

Like, Daniel Day-Lewis level of fantastic. His performance is alternately natural, moving and conflicted. As his palpable feelings of frustration and self-loathing continue to mount during the film, the audience is firmly planted in the seat next to him on the resulting emotional roller coaster ride.

The amazing thing is that young Shareeka Epps is nearly his equal, delivering a measured but potent turn as a troubled young girl who is living a life of quiet desperation. The script is note-perfect, filled with nuance and organic dialogue.

Events progress in the film but in such a way as to honor the expectation of what real life might provide. The reason for Dan's drug addiction isn't made glaringly obvious and the scenes of him getting high are hard to catch, making you feel as if this person is a friend of ours who we see impacted by his behavior but we can't quite put our finger on the heart of his issues.

Director Ryan Fleck shoots almost the entire film hand-held, which really serves to amp up the realism of the performances. This film is a remarkable achievement and it's a bit of a shame that it was overshadowed somewhat in 2006.

Seek it out, see it, and prepare to be amazed.