Your Status
Half Nelson(2006)
Overview
Despite his dedication to the junior-high students who fill his classroom, idealistic teacher Dan Dunne leads a secret life of addiction that the majority of his students will never know. But things change when a troubled student Drey makes a startling discovery of his secret life, causing a tenuous bond between the two that could either end disastrously or provide a catalyst of hope.
My Friends' Ratings
None of your friends have rated this yet.
Cast
Full Cast & Crew
Ryan Gosling
Dan Dunne
Shareeka Epps
Drey
Anthony Mackie
Frank
Jeff Lima
Roodly
Monique Gabriela Curnen
Isabel
Tina Holmes
Rachel
Nathan Corbett
Terrance
Tyra Kwao-Vovo
Stacy
Rosemary Ledee
Gina
Tristan Mack Wilds
Jamal
Bryce Silver
Bernard
Kaela C. Pabon
Lena
Erica Rivera
Erika
Stephanie Bast
Vanessa
Eleanor Hutchins
Simone
Sebastian Sozzi
Javier
Karen Chilton
Karen
Starla Benford
Principal Henderson
Denis O'Hare
Jimbo
Deidre Goodwin
Tina
Featured Comments/Tips
Loved it. Just the right pace and an amazingly well told story. This film really should get more praise than it does.
Realistic and emotional. Follows the life of Dan Dunne a history teacher, very well played by Rayn Gosling, an unhappy man who doesn'#39;t care about anything more unless his drugs addiction. We can see him struggle everyday against drugs and throughout the film his addiction seems to get worse and he just can'#39;t control it anymore. Shareeka Epps is also great in this film, she plays Drey, one of Dan'#39;s student. Both started a friendship beyond school, a friendship that started because of a secret. We definitely feel the chemistry between them. You can find a lot of positive messages in this film.
Painfully real, it'#39;s a very touching story and with great preformances all around espically Ryan Gosling and does a great job getting the audience to care about the characters.
Bazı filmlerin bıraktığı etki Dostoyevski okumak gibi.Bu da o tarz filmlerden..
One of the best movies from 2006, it'#39;s too painfully real in today'#39;s world. Great performances from Ryan Gosling (got a Oscar nod for his role) and Shareeka Epps.
An extremely intense sense of immersion, with very close angles, striking movements and a powerful expressive charge, all contribute to creating an anxious, melancholy and profoundly impacting vision of this story. The narrative is full of layers, exploring everything from the dynamics between the characters to social criticism, reflections on the education system, family relationships and the problem of addiction. This complexity is handled naturally and fluidly, capturing the attention. The highlight is the exceptional performance by Shareeka Epps, whose chemistry with Ryan Gosling is impressive, conveying a rare authenticity and great depth.
A student-teacher love story in the best possible way. Powerful film. Story: 8 Script: 8 Performances: 10 Misc.: 8 Influence: 6 Overall: 8
A decent movie about people trying to escape vices - both their own and of those around them. Interesting to see a young Ryan Gosling before he was Ryan Gosling. follow me at https://IHATEBadMovies.com or facebook page IHateBadMovies
Featured User Reviews
Ryan Gosling is on very natural form here as the teacher "Dan" who has a bit of a drug habit after school. He's a good teacher. Well liked. A man who gets results from a class of students who would almost all rather be somewhere else, and he coaches the girls' basketball team too. Luckily for him, it's one of his pupils, "Drey" (Shareeka Epps), that discovers him a bit worse for wear in the school toilet and swiftly a friendship develops. It's one of mutual understanding. His life is a mess and she is having to deal with divorced and largely absent parents. Her brother "Mike" is in jail for drug offences, but quickly we learn that it's "Frank" (Anthony Mackie) who's really the culprit there. He tries to take care of the girl, but when the two men meet it's clear that "Dan" thinks" Frank" should leave her alone; he's a bad influence. Needless to say, there are views taken about the appropriateness of their friendship but somehow that just galvanises them into trying to help each other. For "Dan", to perhaps stop treating the women in his life like dirt; and for "Drey" to have the confidence to grab life by the throat. It's a slowly paced look at human nature this film and there's quite a degree of chemistry between the charismatic Gosling and the Epps. They are walking a tightrope that puts his career at risk and she is at a junction in her life where choices will map her future. Mackie only features sparingly but again, his character is a little more sophisticated than your usual drug dealer. "Frank" does appear to care for his charge and seems prepared to engage with "Dan", up to a point, to help the girl choose a better life. Is there room for optimism or is it all a fait accompli? Plenty of plausible emotions on display here.
You might also like...
A Simple Plan
1998
Bad Lieutenant
1992
Brand Upon the Brain!
2007
Control
2007
Easy Rider
1969
Fish Tank
2009
Frozen River
2008
Greenberg
2010
Ida
2013
Krisha
2016
Loveless
2017
Mississippi Grind
2015
Nebraska
2013
One Hour Photo
2002
Private Life
2018
Stranger Than Paradise
1984
Sugar
2008
Sweet Sixteen
2002
The Constant Gardener
2005
The Damned United
2009
The Savages
2007
The Wrestler
2008
Tyson
2008
Masters of the Air
2024
Dom
2021
