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, Anthony Mackie, Shareeka Epps

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 29 wins & 47 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 Mack Wilds	...	Jamal (as Tristan Wilds)
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:

classroom | teacher | student | drugs | class | 

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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 [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 September 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

Fél Nelson

Filming Locations:

Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$700,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$53,983, 13 August 2006

Gross USA:

$2,694,973, 10 December 2006

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hunting Lane Films, Journeyman Pictures, Silverwood Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Dan picking up the cat before going into Frank's house was unrehearsed. Ryan Gosling saw the stray cat during the filming to the scene, and picked it up. Because Dan's cat died a few scenes before, the filmmakers thought it was perfect for the film and put it in the final cut.

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Quotes

Dan: [after seeing one of the students cheating on the test] Unbelievable! What you're doing?

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Connections

References How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966)

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Soundtracks

Capture the Flag
Written and Performed by Broken Social Scene
Published by Arts & Crafts Music
Licensed Courtesy of Arts & Crafts Records
From the album "You Forgot It in People"

User Reviews

HALF NELSON...A Ryan Gosling Film Triumph

Ryan Gosling delivers a performance in HALF NELSON that is a marvel to watch and to see the talent which this young man/actor brings to the film and screen. Every frame delivers the intensity and drama within this young teacher's life and the issues he handles with his addiction and how he strives to reach his students in the classroom through honesty, humor and the lessons of history delivered on screen.

Just watching Gosling in every frame is a triumph in what character development is all about, along with the brilliance of his performance. Gosling adds HALF NELSON to his outstanding work in the films THE UNITED STATES OF LELAND and the gorgeous NOTEBOOK.

Shareeka Epps as a young, struggling student, is a perfect foil to Gosling, and her intelligence and strength matches that of Gosling as they both deliver scenes that are memorable and tremendous. From the classroom to the basketball court, to the painful addiction scenes, Epps and Gosling make HALF NELSON come alive with anger, pain and the true pathos of life represented in America today.

With the final scene in the film, one can only hope that the characters may move from despair into lives which might give them a sense of hope, and finally a chance, as with the lessons of history, to move beyond their unhappy past into a brighter and more rewarding future.