Jeanskynebu the audience applauded

Freaktana A Major Disappointment

Doomtomylo a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

Allison Davies The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

George Wright A great character role by Ryan Gosling as Dan Dunne, an imaginative and creative high school teacher with a drug habit. Eventually his extra curricular life catches up with him when friends and colleagues see some bizarre behaviour. Ryan Gosling shows a range of acting talents as a dedicated teacher whose life spirals out of control. The hidden life is first discovered by one of his students, Drea, a good friend. I liked their initial friendship, which became more than just being friends. The student, played by Shareeka Epps, and Anthony Mackie as Frank, the nice guy dealer, are both outstanding among some other fine supporting actors. A great performance by Gosling with a fine cast behind him is a movie worth seeing.

Dominic LeRose If students not only wondered, but found out what their teachers were up to when they finished teaching them for the day, I bet you that students would show more respect for teachers. No film has ever opened my eyes to how dense teacher's souls can be, causing me to regret viewing my teachers as simple human beings, and not striving to make personal relationships inside the classroom. Ryan Gosling gives a quietly moving performance playing a young middle-school teacher with a drug problem. His character, Dan Dunne, forms a friendship with one of his students named Drey (Shareeka Epps). The story transcends from a sweet story to a character study on a man who tries to pass through his troubled life to find meaning along the way. Gosling gives a tour de force performance in "Half Nelson." His poignant way of being realistic enough to believe someone like Ryan Gosling could be a teacher transforms our view of a so called "pretty boy" and reminds us we're viewing the flight of a soaring actor full of talent. Writer/Director Ryan Fleck makes it clear he's striving for a redemption story. His characters and shockingly realistic writing have the force to capture the peeks of our hearts, break it in half, and then build it back up. In a subtle fashion, Fleck shows a story of coming out from a shell. There's plenty of moral questions and destiny ideas thrown at us to have us consider the paths of our own lives while we experience an independent film like no other capture our minds and spirits. Thrown students giving presentations to the class, Dan feeling trapped in his life, and a thoroughly effective examination of impoverished city life, "Half Nelson" is both devastating and one of the most unforgettable independent films of our time.

tieman64 Ryan Fleck's "Half Nelson" stars Ryan Gosling as Dan Dunne, a troubled history teacher. Fond of the communist manifesto, and adept at using Engels' three laws of dialectics to explain history to his students, Dunne's almost a caricature of left-leaning, liberal teachers. The world's out to get you, Dunne explains to his kids, "the man" responsible for systems and institutions designed to keep the masses down. Dunne's students think he's full of hot air.It quickly becomes apparent that Dunne represents a brand of failed, white paternalism. Dunne wants to inspire and "save" his many African American students, but is largely ineffectual. The complex social, historical and systemic forces which make Dunne's mission difficult, if not outright impossible, aren't Fleck's concern. What is Fleck's concern is Dunne's self-perception. Dunne perceives himself as having lost ("One man alone means nothing!"). As being a failure. As being a man on a mission nobody cares about. But while his parents - children of the civil rights era – and siblings have slipped inexorably from radicalism to conformism, Dunne holds on to dwindling threads of hope; change is possible, he almost believes.As he's becoming increasingly depressed, Dunne turns to drugs. They offer escape, but of course addiction begins to ruin his life. One student, Drey (Shareeka Epps), offers to help Dunne, but he brushes her away. White guys don't need help from 13 year old African American girls. Right? "Half Nelson's" second half watches as Drey herself gets entangled in a web of crime and drugs. It's a web Dunne tries to rescue Drey from, but his efforts are as ineffectual as hers. The film then ends with a pair of sad moments. In the first, Drey finds herself delivering drugs to a rock-bottomed Dunne. Both look at each another with regret, before Fleck hits us with a coda which suggests escape. Whether this escape is but a pipe-dream is left ambiguous. The term "half-nelson", after all, refers to a wrestling grip in which the victim's hand ands neck are pinned down. Make of this metaphor what you will."Half Nelson" is reasonably well directed by Fleck, dodges most "teaching movie" clichés, and features a good performance by the usually comatose Ryan Gosling. Shareeka Epps, beautiful, subtle and raw, steals the show.8/10 – See "Detatchment" and Laurent Cantet's "The Class".

g-bodyl Half Nelson, a very low-budget movie, happens to be one of the most intense, revealing character dramas of recent years. At first, I didn't like the choppy camera work but then I came to realize it added a more gritty, realistic feeling to the film. It's definitely slow and kind of depressing, but the teacher-student relation will keep you entranced and wondering what is going to happen to these two.Ryan Fleck's film is about a history teacher and basketball coach who has a serious drug habit and he keeps going everyday because of his love of the subject and more importantly, his students. But one day, one of his students, a troubled girl, witnesses his secret and that secret will bring them together along a shared path.Ryan Gosling has been in so many great movies but this one of his best early roles as leading man. He gives one hell of a performance and it shows how this dude can act. Does he play a bad man? I would think not. Is he a good guy with serious flaws? I would say yes. Because of Gosling's intense portrayal, we care about what happens to this guy. Shareeka Epps does very well as the troubled girl and she holds her own against Gosling.Overall, Half Nelson is a beautiful drama about how two similarly depressed people are able to connect even though they don't find much in life. It's a bit depressing but at the same time, it can be a tad uplifting as well. For a very low budget, this film speaks on higher levels and proves you don't need extremely high budgets to make good movies. I rate this film 9/10.