Half Nelson

2006

1h 47m

IMDb RATING

6.6/10

877

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Drama

Despite his dedication to the junior-high students who fill his classroom, idealistic teacher Dan Dunne leads a secret life of addiction that the majority of his students will never know. But things change when a troubled student Drey makes a startling discovery of his secret life, causing a tenuous bond between the two that could either end disastrously or provide a catalyst of hope.

Directors

Ryan Fleck

Writers

Anna Boden(writer by)

Ryan Fleck(writer by)

Stars

Ryan Gosling

Shareeka Epps

Anthony Mackie

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Videos2

Trailer
Watch HALF NELSON trailer
Featurette
Watch Ryan Fleck & Anna Boden on "Half Nelson"

Photos19

Top cast

Dan Dunne

Drey

Frank

Roodly

Monique Gabriela Curnen

Isabel

Rachel

Terrance

Stacy

Gina

Jamal

Bernard

Lena

Erika

Vanessa

Simone

Javier

Karen

Principal Henderson

Directors

Ryan Fleck

Writers

Anna Boden(writer by)

Ryan Fleck(writer by)

All cast & crew

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User reviews1

Review

Featured review

7/10

Ryan Gosling is on very natural form here as the teacher "Dan" who has a bit of a drug habit after school. He's a good teacher. Well liked. A man who gets results from a class of students who would almost all rather be somewhere else, and he coaches the girls' basketball team too. Luckily for him, it's one of his pupils, "Drey" (Shareeka Epps), that discovers him a bit worse for wear in the school toilet and swiftly a friendship develops. It's one of mutual understanding. His life is a mess and she is having to deal with divorced and largely absent parents. Her brother "Mike" is in jail for drug offences, but quickly we learn that it's "Frank" (Anthony Mackie) who's really the culprit there. He tries to take care of the girl, but when the two men meet it's clear that "Dan" thinks" Frank" should leave her alone; he's a bad influence. Needless to say, there are views taken about the appropriateness of their friendship but somehow that just galvanises them into trying to help each other. For "Dan", to perhaps stop treating the women in his life like dirt; and for "Drey" to have the confidence to grab life by the throat. It's a slowly paced look at human nature this film and there's quite a degree of chemistry between the charismatic Gosling and the Epps. They are walking a tightrope that puts his career at risk and she is at a junction in her life where choices will map her future. Mackie only features sparingly but again, his character is a little more sophisticated than your usual drug dealer. "Frank" does appear to care for his charge and seems prepared to engage with "Dan", up to a point, to help the girl choose a better life. Is there room for optimism or is it all a fait accompli? Plenty of plausible emotions on display here.

Geronimo196718 May, 2024