Half Nelson
Shareeka Epps and Ryan Gosling's characters form an unlikely friendship
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Friday, 20, Apr 2007 04:16
Directed by Ryan Fleck, out Friday April 20th, in cinemas, starring Ryan Gosling, Shareeka Epps, Anthony Mackie, running time 106 mins.
In a nutshell.
Touching tale of secrets and lies.
What's it all about?
Unorthodox teacher Dan Dunne (Ryan Gosling) steers well clear of the syllabus as he inspires the students at a Brooklyn high school, but unbeknownst to his class, he's a man in pain, struggling with a crack addiction. When lonely 13-year-old Drey (Shareeka Epps) discovers him freebasing in the changing rooms after a basketball match, an unlikely friendship emerges. With Dan's frustrations with life and his chemical dependency preventing him from engaging with the rest of the world, and Drey's mother never around to stop her from slowly nearing a future as a drug mule, a touching relationship of mutual support grows. But just who is saving who?
Who's in it?
There's no denying the strength of Gosling here, channelling depths of resignation and inner turmoil that his competent-but-formulaic work in Young Hercules, Remember The Titans and The Notebook had never hinted at.
The 16-year-old Epps deserves substantial plaudits for a superb movie debut, with her only previous work coming in Gowanus, Brooklyn, a 2004 low-budget short later expanded into Half Nelson.
Anthony Mackie, one of Eminem's battle nemeses in 8 Mile, is hugely charismatic as a very different father figure, and proof of the strength of the script; his friendly drug dealer is sympathetic where it could be cartoonish.
As an example.
"Second chances are rare man, you ought to take better advantage of them" -Dan Dunne, after catching a student cheating in a test.
Likelihood of a trip to the Oscars
Gosling's astounding performance received a deserved nomination for Best Actor, but lost out to Forest Whitaker's timeless turn as Idi Amin in The Last King Of Scotland. It might give the appearance of being a Dangerous Minds clone at first, but the depth of characterisation and two fantastic leads has quite rightly led to 22 award wins since its release, including the coveted Grand Jury Prize at Sundance.
What the others say
"Just wonderful with its offbeat but wholly credible storyline, down-to-earth style and exceptionally fine performances." - Angie Errigo, Empire.
"Made with assurance, restraint and psychological acuity by director Ryan Fleck and anchored by Ryan Gosling's commanding performance, this paradigmatic American independent feature approaches recurring themes in a compelling new way." - Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times
So is it any good?
The outstanding turns of the two leads dominate the film, with the alienated Gosling unrecognisable from his heartthrob role in The Notebook, a mess of quivering disillusionment and bubbling frustration that things just aren't the way they should be.
Epps is more than a match for his singular efforts though, with a nuanced portrayal of lost innocence, struggling to avoid the seemingly inevitable path of following her older brother into prison.
Unfortunately, the failings of the plot prevent the movie from reaching true greatness - there's very little story to speak of. Ryan Fleck's direction is admirable in its restraint, but much of the film seems a piecing together of snapshots, rather than a fully-fledged exploration of these characters. We can hazard a guess at the roots of Dan's problems, and the scars of Drey's family life are implied, but a more involving narrative could have created something timeless.
8/10
Lewis Bazley