half nelson

Half Nelson (2006)

Premise: Dan Dunne (Ryan Gosling) is a popular history teacher at an inner-city middle school. He's also an addict. He keeps his two worlds separate until Drey (Shareeka Epps), one of his students, finds him in the girl's locker room with a crack pipe.

This indie is not part of the fantastical movie world where people can save each other. Redemption isn't easy, and it doesn't come quickly. There's always further to fall for Dan, a clever composite of the worst side of addiction and the best inspirational teacher model. Early in the movie he tells his students that history is about dialectics: opposing forces work against each other, resulting in change. This monologue informs that rest of the movie, yet it does so without coming across as a cheesy after school special. For Dan, it's the drugs and the students. Every time he's stoned he wonders, ceaselessly, how he can reach his students. When he finally hears about the impact he's had, he's too far gone to understand.

For Drey, it's Dan and Frank (Anthony Mackie), a local dealer whose work landed Drey's brother in jail. Drey can't save either one of these men, and both relationships have the potential to destroy her.

What a movie, people! So . . . economical. But in a good way. Relationships, characters, and plot points are established in seconds, not sprawling over unnecessary minutes. Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck (who also directed) have a story to tell, and they are not screwing around. Time goes into smart camera work, perfect pacing, and clever plotting. Nothing too Hollywood happens, allowing the story to maintain a realistic, even documentary edge.

That edge is carried over to the performances, especially those of the two leads. It's easy to forget that Gosling and Epps are acting, given how raw they play it. Gosling is a rare firecracker whose lean good looks never hold him back from hitting the emotional underbelly in his characters, but it's Epps that will capture the audience's heart. Her toughness isn't put on; it's the product of hard earned everyday lessons that occur outside the classroom. When you see the vulnerability of her youth, despite her intelligence, it's heartbreaking.

One minor thing: I didn't always jive with Broken Social Scene's dissonance.

Otherwise, a dream of a movie. A