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Half Nelson

  • 2006
  • Tous publics
  • 1h 46m
IMDb RATING
7.1/10
94K
YOUR RATING
Ryan Gosling in Half Nelson (2006)
Home Video Trailer from Think Film, Inc
Play trailer2:22
6 Videos
99+ Photos
Coming-of-AgeWorkplace DramaDrama

An inner-city junior high school teacher with a drug habit forms an unlikely friendship with one of his students after she discovers his secret.An inner-city junior high school teacher with a drug habit forms an unlikely friendship with one of his students after she discovers his secret.An inner-city junior high school teacher with a drug habit forms an unlikely friendship with one of his students after she discovers his secret.

  • Director
    • Ryan Fleck
  • Writers
    • Ryan Fleck
    • Anna Boden
  • Stars
    • Ryan Gosling
    • Anthony Mackie
    • Shareeka Epps
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.1/10
    94K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Ryan Fleck
    • Writers
      • Ryan Fleck
      • Anna Boden
    • Stars
      • Ryan Gosling
      • Anthony Mackie
      • Shareeka Epps
    • 235User reviews
    • 167Critic reviews
    • 85Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Oscar
      • 29 wins & 48 nominations total

    Videos6

    Half Nelson
    Trailer 2:22
    Half Nelson
    The Rise of Ryan Gosling
    Clip 4:11
    The Rise of Ryan Gosling
    The Rise of Ryan Gosling
    Clip 4:11
    The Rise of Ryan Gosling
    Half Nelson Scene: Turning Point
    Clip 1:06
    Half Nelson Scene: Turning Point
    Half Nelson Scene: On Slide
    Clip 0:57
    Half Nelson Scene: On Slide
    Half Nelson Scene: Chicken Walk
    Clip 1:17
    Half Nelson Scene: Chicken Walk
    Half Nelson Scene: Jokes
    Clip 1:04
    Half Nelson Scene: Jokes

    Photos107

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    Top cast39

    Edit
    Ryan Gosling
    Ryan Gosling
    • Dan Dunne
    Anthony Mackie
    Anthony Mackie
    • Frank
    Shareeka Epps
    Shareeka Epps
    • Drey
    Jeff Lima
    Jeff Lima
    • Roodly
    Nathan Corbett
    Nathan Corbett
    • Terrance
    Tyra Kwao-Vovo
    • Stacy
    Rosemary Ledee
    • Gina
    Tristan Mack Wilds
    Tristan Mack Wilds
    • Jamal
    • (as Tristan Wilds)
    Bryce Silver
    • Bernard
    Kaela C. Pabon
    • Lena
    Erica Rivera
    • Erika
    • (as Erika Rivera)
    Stephanie Bast
    Stephanie Bast
    • Vanessa
    Eleanor Hutchins
    • Simone
    Sebastian Sozzi
    Sebastian Sozzi
    • Javier
    Tina Holmes
    Tina Holmes
    • Rachel
    Karen Chilton
    Karen Chilton
    • Karen
    Kitty
    • Dave - The Cat
    Starla Benford
    Starla Benford
    • Principal Henderson
    • Director
      • Ryan Fleck
    • Writers
      • Ryan Fleck
      • Anna Boden
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews235

    7.194.1K
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    10

    Featured reviews

    Kirpianuscus

    honest perspective

    I am teacher. And I saw this film from the angle of my job. As a realistic portrait of a special universe. As honest image of the essence of a work. As one of the most inspired performances of Ryan Gosling. As a great film. About the deep reality behind the appearences. A film about truth. And eulogy of friendship. Short, a teacher, his student and the fight against him. Enough for few questions about near reality and the choices around it.
    7wes-connors

    The Life You Save May Be Your Own

    "Ryan Gosling stars as Dan Dunne, a young teacher whose edgy yet brilliant approach to history inspires his inner-city students to think for themselves. But, outside the classroom, Dan's life is spiraling out of control. Wrestling with inner demons and nursing a serious drug habit, Dan finally hits rock bottom - witnessed by one of his troubled students, Drey (Shareeka Epps). With an unlikely friendship built on a shared secret, Dan tries to steer her away from a small-time drug dealer (Anthony Mackie). But no matter which way they turn to survive, their lives will change forever," according to the film's official synopsis.

    "Half Nelson" suffers from too much of the wobbly "hand held" camera technique which, frankly, isn't necessary to make the film look more realistic. Yet, the story, by director Ryan Fleck and partner Anna Boden, and characterizations are good enough to overcome this distraction. The marvelously written screenplay is full of nuances, which serve the main point - showing the interconnecting ways drug addiction can infect the human spirit, when people like those played by Mr. Gosling and Ms. Epps are needed to play much more positive roles in a troubled world.

    Gosling's "Academy Award" nomination for "Best Actor" is clearly understandable; and, Epps could have easily won some "Best Supporting Actress" consideration. At least, the "Independent Spirit Awards" recognized the memorable pair's delicately played teacher/student roles. Everyone else in the cast is excellent, as well. And, the non-melodramatic ending leaves "Half Nelson" full of hope.

    ******* Half Nelson (3/22/06) Ryan Fleck ~ Ryan Gosling, Shareeka Epps, Anthony Mackie, Monique Gabriela Curnen
    9screenwriter-14

    HALF NELSON...A Ryan Gosling Film Triumph

    Ryan Gosling delivers a performance in HALF NELSON that is a marvel to watch and to see the talent which this young man/actor brings to the film and screen. Every frame delivers the intensity and drama within this young teacher's life and the issues he handles with his addiction and how he strives to reach his students in the classroom through honesty, humor and the lessons of history delivered on screen.

    Just watching Gosling in every frame is a triumph in what character development is all about, along with the brilliance of his performance. Gosling adds HALF NELSON to his outstanding work in the films THE UNITED STATES OF LELAND and the gorgeous NOTEBOOK.

    Shareeka Epps as a young, struggling student, is a perfect foil to Gosling, and her intelligence and strength matches that of Gosling as they both deliver scenes that are memorable and tremendous. From the classroom to the basketball court, to the painful addiction scenes, Epps and Gosling make HALF NELSON come alive with anger, pain and the true pathos of life represented in America today.

    With the final scene in the film, one can only hope that the characters may move from despair into lives which might give them a sense of hope, and finally a chance, as with the lessons of history, to move beyond their unhappy past into a brighter and more rewarding future.
    8lastliberal

    The only constant is change.

    Ryan Gosling and Shareeka Epps were just plain awesome in this film by Ryan Fleck.

    Gosling was impressive as an addict that was trying to hold on and teach. You could see the constant struggle as he fought giving up. The back and forth with Epps was quietly enchanting. Both certainly showed great acting talent in this film.

    No loud action and prurient subject matter, just a sweet film showing a man's struggle and a girl's growing up realizing that drugs cripple. This film is hard to reduce to simple formulas. It transcends any mold and entertains in a reflective manner.
    7xander34

    Nelson's lessons linger

    Half Nelson, the first feature by director Ryan Fleck, steers clear of the inspiring clichés of teacher-student films and the usual violence of films set in the ghetto.

    Half Nelson is a character study, with a meager plot stretched into a one-act film. Not to say this is a bad thing. If one wishes to be thoroughly entertained, steer clear of this film. If one wishes to have a comfortable time at the movies, steer clear of this film. However, if one wishes to view a unique and risky example of independent cinema, see this film.

    Any viewer can tell how much blood and sweat went into making Half Nelson, which was shot on 16mm for less than $1 million. Ryan Gosling is truly admirable for seeing something in this screenplay. After breaking viewers' hearts in The Notebook, Gosling carries this film. Gosling plays Dan Dunne, a Brooklyn middle-school teacher who is addicted to crack cocaine, with admirable subtlety. It's a performance that will make the audience cringe with anguish and sympathy as Gosling takes one self-destructive step after another.

    It isn't surprising to hear that Half Nelson was once a short film by Fleck titled Gowanus, Brooklyn. That film starred the young actress Shareeka Epps as a bright, tough African-American girl named Drey in Dunne's class. The film characterized her unlikely friendship with Dunne, after she discovered his crack habit. Epps reprises her role in Half Nelson, and is astonishingly good in her feature debut, giving a real, down-to-earth performance. Rounding out the main cast is the charismatic Anthony Mackie as Frank, a local drug dealer who is actually nice.

    Anna Boden's screenplay, co-written by Fleck, is filled with ranges of intensity, awkwardness, sadness, and humor. Fleck veers from the norm in his direction, giving an extremely claustrophobic look into the lives of the characters.

    Half Nelson, although somewhat painful to watch, will stay with you for a long time.

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The film was shot in 23 days and finished one day ahead of schedule.
    • Quotes

      Dan: Change moves in spirals, not circles. For example, the sun goes up and then it goes down. But everytime that happens, what do you get? You get a new day. You get a new one. When you breathe, you inhale and you exhale, but every single time that you do that you're a little bit different then the one before. We're always changing. And its important to know that there are some changes you can't control and that there are others you can.

    • Crazy credits
      The very beginning and very end of the credits are both shown over the sound of Dunn imitating a trumpet playing a tune.
    • Connections
      Featured in Siskel & Ebert & the Movies: World Trade Center/Step Up/Scoop/Half Nelson (2006)
    • Soundtracks
      Stars & Sons
      Written and Performed by Broken Social Scene

      Published by Arts & Crafts Music

      Licensed Courtesy of Arts & Crafts Records

      From the album "You Forgot It in People"

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    FAQ20

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • July 18, 2007 (France)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • StudioCanal International (France)
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • La otra cara de Nelson
    • Filming locations
      • New York Hall of Science, 111th Street, Flushing Meadows Park, Queens, New York City, New York, USA(field trip)
    • Production companies
      • Hunting Lane Films
      • Journeyman Pictures
      • Silverwood Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $700,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $2,697,938
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $53,983
      • Aug 13, 2006
    • Gross worldwide
      • $4,660,481
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 46 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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