Mirrored: 1st of March 2010, 11:58 Original: www.moviefreak.com Views: 46 Settings: Loading the mirror...
DVD STORE | CONTEST GIVEAWAYS | MOVIE POSTERS | LINKS MOVIE REVIEW [IMG] Half Nelson SUPPORT OUR SITE [IMG] [IMG] [IMG] Rating: R [IMG] Distributor: ThinkFilm [IMG] Released: Aug. 11, 2006 [IMG] [IMG] Reviewed by Sara Michelle Fetters a SIFF 2006 review Half Nelson an Addictive Melodrama "Second chances are rare. You should really try and take advantage of them." Solid words of wisdom, too bad inner city middle school teacher Dan (Ryan Gosling) can't seem to follow the same sound advice he gives his students. While he may be a superstar in the classroom teaching history, his personal life is a wreck. He's had multiple chances to pull it all together, somehow always finding a way to mess things up over and over again. His latest chance for resurrection comes in the unlikely form of student Drey (newcomer Shareeka Epps) who by chance discovers Dan smoking crack in the ladies locker room late one night after a basketball game. She doesn't turn him in, however, instead striking up a highly unusual friendship with her teacher and coach that causes both to become intimately involved in the lives, and demons, of the other. It's unconventional and not remotely proper, but when you consider Drey's only other friend is the neighborhood's local drug dealer Frank (Anthony Mackie) and Dan's is nothing more than a big line of cocaine, this crazy mixed-up friendship might just be the best either of them can do. Director Ryan Fleck (who co-writes with frequent collaborator Anna Boden) had crafted a unique teacher-student melodrama in "Half Nelson." Defying easy explanations, the movie eschews many of the normal cliches usually inherent in the genre. It is a character study, not the expected (and boring) story of an educator battling the system to achieve a greater good for his trusting students. Sure the kids in Dan's class learn a thing or two (mostly about civil rights) but that's completely unimportant considering the deep pit the educator finds himself stranded in. It is, in the end, a story about addiction and friendship, Fleck and Boden delivering an anguished tale full of emotional darkness. But the film is also a coming of age saga, 13-year-old Drey trying to find her own unique voice amidst a see of depression, chemical dependency and chaos. Not only do the filmmakers pull these two stories off, in the form of young Epps they've also discovered an actress with eyes so expressive and talent so stunning she makes all the feature's shortcomings (of which there are more than I'd like) vanish into nothingness. What's most remarkable about her accomplishment is how she is able to almost carry the film single-handedly with ever so little to work with. Fleck and Boden don't make it easy on Drey. Why does she not turn Dan in? Why doesn't she reveal to her mother her friendship with the teacher or that she's visiting her older brother in prison? Why does she keep hanging out with Frank even though she knows he's the one responsible for her brother's incarceration? These questions and more are never really answered. Thanks to Epps, they don't need to be. I felt the scope of her pain etched magnificently upon her beautiful young face, her emotion searing through the celluloid in every glance and nod. The extent of her insecurity and hesitation could be grasped through her expressive mannerisms, through Dan Drey finding a kindred spirit equally lost amidst the cascading turmoil of a splintered and painful life. Much like Anna Paquin in "The Piano," this is a remarkable debut I had no problems following Epps now matter how dark the road she was walking. Speaking of darkness, it should come as no surprise that Gosling has very little trouble navigating the abyssal trenches put forth by the filmmakers here. Through blistering turns in "The Believer" and "Murder by Numbers," to sullen and withdrawn one in misfires like "The Notebook" and "Stay," the actor hasn't met a self-destructive introspective wreck of a character he hasn't embraced. Dan fits that mold like a glove, the talented teacher with a knack for connecting with even his most troubled students damning his immeasurable talents to disaster thanks to his faltering battle against drugs. The thing is, as good as Gosling is (and he's admittedly excellent) I can't help but feel like I've seen this performance before. Self-effacing smiles and heartwarming charm blossom in the classroom, but aside from those too few moments there is nothing to what the actor does in this he hasn't done numerous times before. For all his talents, and as much as I'm loathe to say it, it's quickly becoming apparent Gosling is nothing more than a one-trick pony, and too many more characters like Dan and he'll be forever - if he's not already - typecast. As writers, Fleck and Boden are pretty much all over the map. While the majority of the moments here ring chillingly true (especially long, brutally realistic forays inside Dan's addiction-filled family life and shots of Drey wordlessly communicating with her mother), some clang to the floor resoundingly false. A third act attempted rape is particularly forced, while Frank's comeuppance, or lack thereof, is utterly dispiriting. And yet, a series of coincidences, while implausible on the surface, prove to be remarkably effective, the picture closing on a beauteous coda leaving future events hopeful if still unfinished. At the very least Fleck and Boden should be applauded for crafting a tough, uncompromising melodrama built on the bones of a genre so tired its marrow has nearly ground to dust. Stories of teachers inspiring their students are a dime a dozen, for that matter so are dramas looking at characters battling drug abuse. And yet, "Half Nelson" manages to rise above its flaws to emerge an addictive emotional powerhouse, and even if bits come up irritatingly short the heart beating inside this picture is as robust as they come. Film Rating: eee (out of 4) Digg! Subscribe to Movie Reviews Feed [IMG] Review posted on Aug 11, 2006 | Share this article | Top of Page Copyright (c) 1999-infinity MovieFreak.com Site Meter -------------------------------------------------------------- Back to Top