Half Nelson (2006)

An inner-city junior high school teacher with a drug habit forms an unlikely friendship with one of his students after she discovers his secret.

Director:

Ryan Fleck

Writers:

Ryan Fleck, Anna Boden

Stars:

Ryan Gosling, Jeff Lima, Shareeka Epps

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 30 wins & 23 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ryan Gosling	...	Dan Dunne
Jeff Lima	...	Roodly
Shareeka Epps	...	Drey
Nathan Corbett	...	Terrance
Tyra Kwao-Vovo	...	Stacy
Rosemary Ledee	...	Gina
Tristan Wilds	...	Jamal
Bryce Silver	...	Bernard
Kaela C. Pabon	...	Lena
Erica Rivera	...	Erika (as Erika Rivera)
Stephanie Bast	...	Vanessa
Eleanor Hutchins	...	Simone
Sebastian Sozzi	...	Javier
Tina Holmes	...	Rachel
Karen Chilton	...	Karen

Storyline

Young Caucasian Dan Dunne teaches history and coaches the girls basketball team at a Brooklyn high school populated primarily by black and Hispanic students. To the chagrin of his superiors, Dan bucks the outlined curriculum of historical facts in favor of the philosophy of historical events, generally discussing the concept of dialectics. As such, he captures the imagination of his students, at least in the classroom. Outside of the classroom, Dan's life is in shambles. He has a distant but cordial relationship with his family. He uses illicit drugs rampantly. Although his former girlfriend Rachel was able to clean up her drug habit, Dan believes that rehab will not work for him. Due to a combination of these issues, he treats women poorly. Thirteen year old Drey is a student in his class and a player on his basketball team. Drey has her own problems. Her parents are divorced, with her father a virtually non-existent figure in her life and her EMT mother generally absent as she is ...

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Plot Keywords:

student | drugs | classroom | inner city | drug habit | 

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Taglines:

Secrets don't let go.

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for drug content throughout, language and some sexuality

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [us]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 August 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

Half Nelson - Encurralados

Filming Locations:

Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$700,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$53,983 (USA) (11 August 2006)

Gross:

$2,694,973 (USA) (8 December 2006)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hunting Lane Films, Journeyman Pictures, Silverwood Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min 106 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film was shot in 23 days and finished one day ahead of schedule.

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Quotes

Cindy: Knock, knock.
Dan: [rolling his eyes but gamely playing along] Who's there?
Cindy: The Interrupting Cow.
Dan: The Interru...
Cindy: Moooooo!

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Connections

Featured in Siskel & Ebert: Episode dated 12 August 2006 (2006)

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Soundtracks

"Blues for Uncle Gibb"
Written and Performed by Broken Social Scene
Published by Arts & Crafts Music
Licensed Courtesy of Arts & Crafts Records
From the album "Feel Good Lost"

User Reviews

Awesome

Anyone who has experienced addiction in their lives, whether your own or someone close to you, will find this film cutting. It is not about the reasons leading to addiction or the recovery, rather it is about the experience of the addiction in its raw reality. Even if you have not experienced addiction in your life, the story is worthwhile and the photography stellar. Ryan Gosling is the perfect portrait of a good person who got lost. His portrayal of a crack head is almost too good. The dialog is not pretentious or assuming and not overused. The story unfolds itself in a very natural manner.

Highly recommended.