With sweat pouring down his face, pupils the size of dimes and his heart beating what seems like a million times a minute, Dan Dunne (Ryan Gosling) finds himself sprawled out on the girls' bathroom floor, gasping for breaths and staring up at his student, Drey (Shareeka Epps), who sees him lying there, helpless and holding a crack pipe.
Dan is an energetic and brilliant teacher—raised on the liberal ideals of his baby-boomer, Vietnam War-hating parents—who inspires his 13-year-old students to view the Civil Rights Movement from the idea of how change works. But within 15 minutes of the emotional, heart-wrenching masterpiece that is ""Half Nelson,"" the audience sees Dunne helpless on the floor and in this life-jeopardizing position, appearing to be at his most vulnerable point.
""Half Nelson"" is an emotional and powerful film that deals with the friendship between an inner city middle school teacher and his student, while they cope with the pressures of the mean streets of Brooklyn and face addiction in its raw reality.
The movie is brilliantly held together through the fantastic and Oscar-worthy performances of both Gosling and the equally riveting newcomer Epps. Many of the memorable and emotionally impactful scenes in ""Half Nelson"" include little dialog and are driven solely by the story-telling facial expressions of the actors.
The intense close-ups during these serious moments in the film create a certain element of discomfort within the viewer. Perhaps it is the subject matter or the seemingly inappropriate-but-tame relationship between Dan and Drey that makes the closeness and intimacy of the shots churn the insides of the audience.
Much of the beauty in the film lies not in the technicalities of the director's vision, but in the sheer fact that—unlike many of the films that have been and will be released this year—there is a lot to learn from this film. ""Half Nelson"" values the often-underappreciated impact that one person can have on another. Torn between her free-basing teacher and drug dealing family friend's (Anthony Mackie) opposing views on how she should be raised in her crucial teenage years, Drey must decide for herself who is right and what is the right thing to do.
""Half Nelson"" also supports an amazing soundtrack featuring the profound Canadian outfit Broken Social Scene, British singer-songwriter Billy Bragg and hip-hop virtuoso Saigon. The tracks flow seamlessly in the film and the music compliments the film perfectly, at no point overpowering any of the scenes.
""Half Nelson"" is the best movie to be released so far this year. It is flawless in every single aspect and deserves the high praises it is receiving from both audiences and critics alike. ""Half Nelson"" explores some of the deepest and darkest emotions confined in the human psyche. Some of these resonate so deep that those who have experienced any sort of addiction first-hand or watched it deteriorate those they love will feel as if the movie was taking place in the real world; in truth, that is all you could ever ask of a good film. If you see one film this month, make sure it is ""Half Nelson.""
