Half Nelson (Review)

Half Nelson showcases an authentic script and the envisioned first time direction of Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden. The amazing Ryan Gosling, here as junior high school teacher Dan Dunne, holds his roles under the microscope of lived in and felt that is not so much as acting as it is being. Accomplished acting is a combination of pretending to be while being and luck. It's an art form that rarely touches the modern silver screen and has historically been left to the stage to represent, but not here.

The cast is overwhelmingly subtle as the supporting role to Gosling's energy is the young charismatic Shareeka Eeps, who easily holds her own and lands her own fire to the tale. Gosling shows us, through Dunne, that we are not any one action and change is not out of reach but reach we must even if we get dirty and fall to our own weaknesses. Being a drug addict makes for a flawed and usually unlikable figure, but Gosling's channeling of his character's heart, true intentions and hope shines through all of the dirt he throws on himself. In trying to help children in this gray colored world, we see that the blind might be better teachers then stereotypically portrayed in films past. Eeps' character Drey, an urban youth that comes across not only as possibly tainted but prematurely wise beyond her years, is performed in a relaxed state of being that only the most talented young actors can present and I doubt could ever be taught. Drey sees that Dunne wants to help children through and from society, while stumbling on his own inner demons and harsh self imposed punishment for possibly failing them and himself. In the end, the film never preaches an answer or showcases beautifully imagined outcome of heroics and stereotypical posturing, instead it shows that nothing is static, nothing is black and white and no one is an island on to themselves.

After watching Half Nelson, I began to think of all the situations where grey enters the picture of everyday life and society blocks it with the curtains of fear and apathy. In watching Gosling's Dunne fail to reach his own expectations and hopes, we all can acknowledge that the world isn't fair but maybe to each other we can be. Dunne may not be able to save himself but Drey may be the one person he has touched and in that he (we) can succeed.

Grade: A +