MOVIE REVIEWS
Half Nelson
Nathan Lim
On a special episode of Ebert and Roeper, Kevin Smith (director, writer, actor) filled in for the ill Roger Ebert and said that Ryan Fleck’s Half Nelson was the best movie he has seen in a decade. So I went to go see the film, with monumental expectations. As the credits rolled on screen and dim lights appeared above, I just sat in my seat, delightfully stunned at what I had just witnessed. I wanted to stand up and applaud. Actually, 2/3 into the movie, I knew that I loved the film. Though I do not think Half Nelson is the best movie I’ve seen in a decade, it’s one of those “rare gems” that one finds in a thrift store or a garage sale and must share with the world.
Webster’s Dictionary defines the term half nelson as a wrestling move in which one arm is passed below the opponent’s armpit and the hand is pressed against the back of his neck. This is a truthful and sad metaphor to describe the life of Dan Dunne (Ryan Gosling), an inner city junior high teacher, a girls’ basketball coach, and a CRACK ADDICT.
In the opening shot, Dunne leans helplessly against his grungy sofa, feeling disgruntled and empty. In the next scene, Dunne walks into a classroom, where he is king among nave adolescents, whose attention are suddenly rapt when he defines history: Two opposing forces clashing in order to make change. Not only is he describing what he thinks is the cause of history, but he is also describing his current personal struggle. After a typical girl’s basketball practice, Dunne steps into a girls’ restroom to feed his craving. Drey (Shareeka Epps), a thirteen-year-old girl who happens to walk by a stall, sees her history teacher/ basketball coach perched on a toilet, drugged and miserable. Instead of going out and seeking help, Drey calmly helps Dunne to settle on the floor and gives him a water-soaked towel. An unlikely friendship then begins.
Drey is still too young to possess demons of her own, but she is matured enough to understand that the world is not categorized into black and white, right and wrong, or good and bad, but that there are shades of gray, a zone in which most people’s moral fibers belong. And by living in an inner city, she is surrounded by drugs, prostitution, gangs, and misery, yet she manages to lead trouble-free life. Her mother works through the twilight hours and comes home late regularly to find Drey, asleep before the TV set. It is obvious that her father is a deadbeat. Her best friend is Frank (Anthony Mackie), a local drug dealer. Dunne objects to their relationship. “Do you know what he does?” Dunne asks Drey. Frank, however, doesn’t approve of her relationship with Drey. He tells Drey that her teacher is a “base-head. Base-heads don’t have any friends.”
Ryan Gosling has been getting a lot of positive attention for his performance in the film. The praises are worthy, but I was also impressed with film debutante Shareeka Epps, who successfully conveys the strength of a youth who must survive in a hectic milieu.
Half Nelson is based on Fleck’s short film, Gowanus, Brooklyn, which won best short at the Sundance Film Festival. Kudos to Fleck for extending it into a feature. The plot thin and some people have complained that the film does not accurately depict a crack addict. Those criticisms may be legitimate, but the wonderful soul of the film trumps any flaws in Half Nelson.
Any filmgoer who is a fan of independent films must go see Half Nelson. Any filmgoer who is a fan of an intriguing story must go see this film. What the heck! Everybody who is a fan of movies should go see this film.
P.S. Thank you, Kevin Smith!
