HALF NELSON A film review by David N. Butterworth Copyright 2006 David N. Butterworth
***1/2 (out of ****)
With "Half Nelson," Ryan Gosling elevates his stature from mere actor (with a small a) to A-list Actor (both fully capitalized). You could say whereas prior to this film his nelson was only half empty now it's unequivocally half full.
In years past the Canadian-born Ryan Thomas Gosling has impressed in relatively small, subdued roles. He was solid in "The Slaughter Rule" (an indie which, perhaps, passed too many moviegoers by) and he was equally effective in the more widely received "Murder By Numbers" (with Sandra Bullock) and "The Notebook" (in which he co-starred with current girlfriend Rachel McAdams). But he didn't carry those pictures; indeed he wasn't asked or expected to.
"Half Nelson," on the other hand, paints a very different picture.
In the film Gosling plays a history teacher cum basketball coach in an inner New York City high school who befriends one of his students (newcomer Shareeka Epps, mature beyond her years) when she discovers his crack habit--Drey stumbles upon the near-incapacitated Dan in a stall in the women's locker room after a game. This relationship, highlighted by Gosling's formidable performance (although Epps is no pushover either), forms the central clash of confidences of "Half Nelson." But the wise screenplay doesn't always go where you think it's going--take, for example, the face-off between Dan and a slick neighborhood drug dealer (played by the fine Anthony Mackie).
Gosling is so convincing as an educator you'll want to sign up for his class after seeing this film. He's passionate about the subjects he teaches--the Civil Rights movement, for one; conflict and oppression and subjugation, how history is really all about change, about opposing forces--and he's both fond and respectful of his (mostly African- American) students.
Gosling moves spontaneously around the classroom like a frisky, cunning hyena. He orates fluently but never speechifies; his words have eloquence and, as delivered, feel more improvised than written. Dan is a natural presence at the front of his class; he has grace and energy and charm despite his relative youth and slightly disheveled appearance (which grows more unkempt as the film progresses and attracts the attention of the Principal, as do his non-conformist teaching methods). The strong Epps imparts a vulnerability that attracts Gosling's character to her cause, championing her, acting (appropriately) as her protector when circumstances (read: Mackie's scary Frank) threaten to seduce her.
Written and directed by Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden with skill and sensitivity, "Half Nelson" makes effective use of its hand-held camerawork, constantly drawing us in by cleverly drifting in and out of close-up, shifting our focus. Gosling's impeccable characterization exhibits some peculiar quirks that make Dan all the more credible: a cat, a penchant for making trumpet-like sounds, a rubber band or two forever wrapped around one wrist. Minor details but not insignificant ones; details that reflect time and attention by the filmmakers as well as their charge.
"Half Nelson" is not a plot-heavy film; it's about character, about Dan and Drey and their respective peers (whose roles are minimal yet important). It's a sympathetic and I daresay accurate look at an addicted personality struggling to maintain (if not retain) control over a substance as all consuming as crack cocaine.
Like Dan's well-worn blackboard behind him, "Half Nelson" has quality written all over it.
-- David N. Butterworth dnb@dca.net
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