Review of Half Nelson (2006) by Mark W — 05 Jan 2012

Intense, deep, human, scary, dark, sad, happy, hopeful, depressing, awesome. . . "Half Nelson" is, simply put, one of the best movie I've seen in the last decade. It made me remember how important it is to put passion in every single thing we do: passion is what counts the most, no matter how wrong our decisions and acts are. There's a lot to learn from this film, it makes you think; it's beautifully shot and acted, the characters development is wonderful and complex... And there are historical/political references included, all surrounded by philosophical talking. What a great surprise.

Incredible acting from all cast members, kudos to Ryan Gosling for choosing such a complicated character and magnificently portrayed him at the age of just 25 -- that's not an easy thing to do. Great dialogues, they got me chained to the story from beginning to end, every single scene was so filled up with mixed feelings that it was difficult to bare them all at the same time. Great story. Great film. I enjoyed it a lot.

"Half Nelson" isn't half bad... In fact, it's rather perfect. Absolutely recommended.