The story of an American high school basketball coach and a 13 year old from his team. When I read the synopsis, it reeked of cliché. It sounds like it could be bankrolled by Disney, all about overcoming adversity and warm happy endings.
Half Nelson is the bold middle finger to that tradition. Ryan Gosling is not an inspirational teacher and coach. He appears as a roguish and charismatic speaker, but this image is fast eroded by his by his extracurricular activities. - a touch of after class crack cocaine in the girls bathroom, a sprinkling of drink and flirting at a local club. He becomes a friend of sorts with 13 year old Dre, who discovers his drug habit, and both share a downwards journey into the world of drug abuse.
Half Nelson is a beautiful showcase of all things low tech . The screen becomes a gritty and dirty filter into a life which we wish fervently we could all avoid - yet almost perversely, we are drawn towards it. Wordlessly, the impotence and soullessness of smoking crack is conveyed. It is harrowing to see, painted even more vivid by the jilted camera angles, and soft focus on glassy eyes. More real and more deterrent than any anti-narcotics campaign could hope to be.
There are even some hints of hope in his relationship with Dre, who is herself becoming involved in the world of street drugs. They share moments of companionship, riding along in a car, even dancing together at the school dance. As with their whole relationship, even the dance becomes inappropriate, and one of them has to leave. There is no redemption here, only the sandy, crunching taste of a bitter reality.
If you get the chance, get into a Half Nelson. It is a taste of American life so distant from Hollywood glitz, that has become increasingly rare, and precious.
Rating: 4.0/5
Written by Christopher See
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