Half Nelson is a politically-minded drama fuelled by some terrific performances from Ryan Gosling in an Oscar-nominated role, and young Shareeka Epps. The film is directed by Ryan Fleck, and is an exemplified version of his 19 minute short film - Gowanus, Brooklyn. Shareeka Epps and Karen Chilton reprise their roles as Drey and her [...]
Half Nelson is a film that grabs hold of you almost immediately when it starts. The film features fine performances by its leading actors and is gripping from start to finish. As you may or may not know a 'half nelson' is a wrestling hold, used here as a metaphor for struggle as director Ryan Fleck explains in one of his interviews: 'It works for like addiction or political struggle or anything and that’s sort of it.' Bringing the relationship between a teacher and a young student to the forefront, Half Nelson tells about the struggle with addiction and the she-might-go-wrong future of Drey, the student, played by Shareeka Epps. Intensifying the struggle is the use of camerawork which provides for full close-ups of the actors and the frequently switching between in and out of focus makes the images seem unstable just like the mindstate of the film's characters. The one who most shines in this film is Ryan Gosling. The young up and coming actor who got nominated for his first Os
