Half Nelson (2006) Movie Review

Superbly natural performances by Gosling and Epps lift this addiction drama into something extraordinary. They create such raw, sympathetic characters that even a down-beat story doesn't put us off. This is gripping, moving and extremely thoughtful filmmaking.

Dan Dunne (Gosling) teaches history at a Brooklyn high school, but he marches to his own beat. He also coaches the girls' basketball team, and one of the players, Drey (Epps) is a favourite student. But Dan has an increasingly serious drug problem; he's badly in debt and slowly destroying his health. One day Drey catches him smoking crack in the lockerroom, and the two develop an intriguing friendship. The stakes are raised by the fact that Drey is also hanging out with a dealer (Mackie) who's a close friend of her incarcerated brother (Pennie).

The script is a terrific blending of straightforward drama and character-defining surprises, which continue right to the very end. The filmmakers really get in there and examine both Dan and Drey and the decisions they have made and are making, good and bad. Drey is clearly grappling with a series of moral dilemmas. While Dan shrugs off the "rehab thing", saying it didn't work for him, even if his ex-girlfriend (Holmes) has put her life back together.

Fleck films this in a strikingly realistic way, catching nuances with intimate camera work, and maintaining authenticity in the performances. There's not a false note in any of the characters--these are complex, intriguing people. No one's a villain. And even though Dan is a real mess, we can't help but like him and root for him. We even begin to understand him a little when we meet his repressed parents (Rush and Sanders). Meanwhile, Epps delivers one of the most transparent and honest teen performances all year.

Fleck and Boden layer in quite a bit of history to the story, intriguingly illustrating the film's central theme: that there are some things you can change, and others you can't. Details and facts add richness to the sharply told story, echoing the issues in the world and within flawed characters we readily identify with.