Dan (Ryan Gosling) is a high school teacher with a rare capacity for reaching his young students with his unorthodox methods. He is also a crack addict. As his professional and personal life crater in the face of his habit, Dan finds an unlikely confidant and ally in one of his students, Drey (Shareeka Epps), an unusually mature and self-sufficient girl who nevertheless faces her own struggles.
Depicting their friendship as they both navigate difficulties in their lives, Half Nelson succeeds in confounding our expectations at every turn. This is no Larry Clark shockfest or Robin Williams schmaltzfest, but a tender portrait of a man in emotional chaos and a young girl whose wisdom belies her years, with wonderfully understated performances from both Gosling and Epps.
A highly impressive directorial debut, at once smart, tender, funny and politically engaged, it has real emotional depth and boasts a terrific soundtrack.
