Half Nelson

By Jacquelyn Curtis  

At first glimpse this film appears to be taking another tackle at the somewhat tired cliché of middle-class white teacher inspiring a classroom full of disadvantaged Hispanic and African-American students into crossing the socio-economic boundary and achieving success. The film opens in a Brooklyn junior high school classroom, where teacher Dan Dunn (Gosling), clad in aviators to make Top Gun's Maverick envious, attempts to inspire his students to learn about history. His unorthodox methods slightly intrigue the students, while simultaneously aggravating the conventional principal.

Dunn was once an overeager college student determined to ‘change the world one student at a time' but the film sees his personal life spiralling out of control. Distanced from his family, a string of failed relationships and an escalating drug problem demonstrates his lectures have nil effect outside the classroom.

“History,” Mr Dunn tell his wilting students, “is all about change.”

“It's about two opposing forces trying to push against each other.” And Dunn himself is the epitome of his words, as images of his dilapidated apartment flash on screen after shots him taking drugs in the school locker room. As could be predicted, he is caught in the act by one of his students, a 13 year old girl, Drey (Epps).

The pair form an unlikely truce, which grows into friendship. Drey, the child of an overworked single mother and sister of a convicted drug dealer knows all too well the pressure Dunn faces. Their unaddressed silence about the incident sees them reach a level of understanding neither could have imagined in a student-teacher context. Dunn barely manages to maintain a grip on his life as he wrestles to hold-off the weight of his addiction.

The performance by Gosling is commendable and deserved of his Oscar nomination. The plot is well written by first-time director Fleck and co-author Anna Bowen. The film is gritty, real and there is no trace of any sugar-coating smothered over it like other similarly-themed films. Even when the predictable happens it is not predictable at all, and is a credit to the screenplay and directing.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.