2006 was the year for the strong independent drug-addiction dramas with meaty roles for serious actors. For the female lead, there was Sherrybaby, in which Maggie Gyllenhaal played a recovering heroin addict struggling to go straight and get her daughter back. And for the male lead, there was Half Nelson.
In filmmaking team Ryan Fleck's and Anna Boden's movie, edgy Canadian actor Ryan Gosling (The Notebook, Stay) plays Dan Dunne, a white inner-city history teacher with a drug problem. When one of his students, Drey (Shareeka Epps), finds him collapsed with a crack pipe in the high school bathroom, an unlikely friendship forms.
Over the course of the movie, Dunne struggles with the increasing severity of his addiction. Then again, it doesn't exactly seem like this is his first time down the well, either. Writers Fleck and Boden made the interesting decision to take up with Dunne not when his addiction first starts, but years into it--when he already has lots of water under the bridge. And yet, he is hitting another crisis point--probably one of many--which makes each progressively bad decision and episode of acting out hard to watch.
Half Nelson raises interesting questions with the relationship between Dunne and Drey. Despite all his demons, Dunne is a gifted teacher who clearly cares about his students. But at the same time, when Drey becomes privy to his secret, the falling of her role model speaks louder than any lecture on dialectics ever can.
Fleck and Boden also choose to further upend viewers' assumptions with Frank (Anthony Mackie), a family "friend" responsible in part for Drey's brother's being in jail. Even though Frank is a drug dealer, he is definitely a much more balanced character than Dunne--just one that happens to make his money illegally. The question becomes which one is a worse influence on her?
Gosling is up for an Oscar® for his work in Half Nelson, and there's no question he earned the nomination. Newcomer Epps is quite talented, as well. The performances are quiet and committed. It gets a little frustrating watching Dunne wallow, but I guess that's real. As long as you can deal with somewhat heavy material and don't need your movies wrapped up in a neat little bow, Half Nelson is worth a watch.
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What’s on the Disc:
For such a heavy movie, Half Nelson has some fairly amusing extras. In addition to the commentary, the Outtakes Reel shows that the mood on the set wasn't as grim as the characters' lives. Gosling, in particular, appears to enjoy giving a "thumbs up" sign when done with scenes.
The Deleted and Extended Scenes are pretty skippable, but the Rhymefest 'Wanted' Music Video (with clips form the movie) will get your blood pumping again.
Check out ReelzChannel.com's Half Nelson page for clips from the film and more!