Thursday, April 6, 2006
Half Nelson
Dan (Ryan Gosling) is an intelligent inspiring middle school teacher who stimulates his kids with ideas and provocative thoughts, rather than following the text books. However, his personal life is chaotic and miserable: he is a drug addict who hardly sleeps at night. Dan is part of the system that he is fighting against. He is powerless as an individual to the powerful society. Dan is constantly in struggle with himself. He wants to be a role model and wants to protect his students. But ironically, his drug habit is the very reason those drug dealers exist. Ryan Gosling plays this complex character with great precision and raw emotion. I am looking forward to see more great work from him. This is a very refreshing and honest film. It will be shown at the upcoming 49th San Francisco International Film Festival. My rating: 9 out of 10. |
