Drama: Half Nelson

Half Nelson (2006)

Ryan Gosling stars as Dan Dunne, a twenty something addict who is also a very influential history teacher in an inner city middle school. The story focuses on his struggles to keep his night life from bleeding into his day life, which proves to be impossible. The plot continues to thicken right up to a very climactic scene near the end of the film. Then in pure indie flick form, there's really no happy ending.

For the first half hour or so, I was really struggling to follow the storyline. I don't understand how this guy can continue to function with all of the crack he's smoking, and the drinking and coke snorting to boot. The plot continues to build, though not in a regular mainstream sense. After sitting through the entire thing, you pretty much just accept that fact that there isn't going to be a happy ending. And then the movie is over.

Since this is a typical independent film with indie type camera angles and movements, it's definitely not for everyone. However, I personally knew some people like Dan Dunne, and thought that the writer and director hit the nail on the head in regards to the addicts' personality.

it was okay