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film: Half Nelson
director: Ryan Fleck
cast: Ryan Gosling, Shareeka Epps
ThinkFilm / 2006 / 107 min
score: 84
< click to learn more
by Tim Mathiesen
Nominated: Best Actor (Ryan Gosling)
What do you do when your darkest secret or struggle is found out? What if it was found out
by someone you are trying to protect? What if this action comprimises everything you stand for and believe in?
Our secrets usually conflict with our desired priorities. That's why they're
secrets. The problem is that in our moments of deep lows or boredom our secrets and struggles become our priorities
and eventually ruin us and slowly chip away at the precious things in our lives: family, friends
and in the case of "Half Nelson," students. Students who need a role model, someone they can depend on,
someone they can trust.
"Half Nelson" is a wonderfully straightforward, yet complex story about a drug addicted teacher (Ryan Gosling) and his
7th grade student (Shareeka Epps) who attempts to help her young, popular teacher/coach after catching him doing drugs
in the lockerroom after a basketball game.
He desires to be a role-model to his student whose brother is in jail due to the local
drug dealer who is now befriending her, as well.
The film is tied together beautifully as history lessons are taught based on "opposites." Black vs. White,
Slavery vs. Freedom, Big vs. Small all causing significant moments in history. All while our hero
mirrors his history lessons through his stuggles
with his own demons and tries to hipocritically help his student, while she in turn tries to help him
straighten out his life.
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