HALF NELSON

Tyler: llll

I have not been moved or had a chance to write a new film review since the wave of higher quality winter movies passed. With months of hindsight, Half Nelson has been not only the most remarkable film I have watched during this time, but is also a new pearl in the select coffer of independent classics.
Several things stand out. Ryan Gosling's performance as inner-city teacher Dan Dunne is truly excellent and well deserving of the academy award nomination and respect it has received. The fractured warmth and sincere idealism of Ryan's character is what first captivated me. But despite the challenge of these initial qualities by his interior turmoil and drug addiction, I remained connected. I find it difficult not to see a part of us reflected in his personal struggle (whether or not the drugs are involved in the inner battle). The biggest danger of the performance is the possible alienation of some viewers by his downward spiral. While I have great respect for movies such as Traffic and Requiem for a Dream, I am weary of stories depicting endless and inescapable suffering. What truly engaged me about Half Nelson was its humanity, similar to how "The Pianist" keeps us hoping for light at the end of the tunnel, despite the exhausted theme. Dan Dunne's efforts to save his impressionable teenage students by showing them a different way of seeing civil rights and the system that they have been born into, strikingly contrast with him drowning inside. It is one of his students, performed by Shareeka Epps, who's able to see deeper into him and stands by him as she struggles with her own battles.
The movie stands as a small but well polished pearl. The imagery is raw and intimate. The soundtrack, with an eclectic yet thoughtful blend of folk, indie rock and positive hip-hop, accompanies the story like a hot cup of well roasted coffee. You can hear the entire album by just clicking on the picture above. I especially recommend the songs by the Broken Social Scene and "The Corner" by Saigon. So make yourself that cup of coffee, sit back and let this film show you the battle of this lonely teacher as he tries to make the change in the world he was born to make, and be save himself in the process. Half Nelson will remain somewhere in your consciousness for an undetermined time. Tyler