Whilst undeniably in touch with the life of inner-city schools, and boasting an excellent performance by Ryan Gosling, Half Nelson still feels like a lesser sum of greater parts.
Revolving around Gosling's Daniel Dunne, Half Nelson follows his life as he balances teaching a group of high school students and a drug addiction. Dunne is a troubled man; he is depressed, sad and lonely but manages to hide this behind his passion for history and his love of trying to help his students He is also a man who struggles to understand why he is so disconnected from the man he wants to be. It's a complex character study, and it required someone with Ryan Gosling's talents to pull off. Gosling is sublime, finding nuances and subtle details in Dunne's character which help the audience connect with him on his dark and troubling journey.
When Dunne's two worlds collide after student Drey catches him taking drugs, the film veers off into a very dark place as the teacher struggles to stop his outer school activities bleeding into the classroom. Drey, played by Shareeka Epps gives a worthy performance, and the chemistry and friendship the two unlikely characters create feels incredibly raw and real. It is this duo who hold Half Nelson together, and pull you through long periods where the story moves at a slow speed.
The film is shot close to the action, almost as if you're stood beside the characters or sat in one of Dunne's classes. It works well as it highlights the world of the characters better, and gives you a sense of connection to the battles they are facing. It's quite an intense watch as a result, but you'll appreciate the directors bold attempts at dropping you so close to these people's lives.
Half Nelson's only real issue is in its final moments. In its attempts to keep the films sense of realism intact it fails to find an ending point worthy of what has gone before. You don't feel the closure in character development that you longed for, and have to fill in too many blanks to allow yourself satisfaction at where Dunne is left. The film may be trying to show how difficult it is to push through the crossroads we encounter in life, but Half Nelson falls short at resolving Dunne's attempts to overcome the difficulty.
In the end Half Nelson should win you over, as you'll fall in love with the characters and you'll hope that they find their place in life. Whether the film gives you enough closure is up for debate, but in many ways it doesn't matter.
You can still hope they find themselves, regardless...
7/10
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