Half Nelson (2006)

Between this and Lars and the Real Girl (2007) Ryan Gosling is fast becoming one of the my favorite working actors, which is a little embarrassing to say given he’s the guy that all the lady’s love from The Notebook (2004). Here Gosling appears in a rather unconventional take on the inspiring teacher movie, his Dan Dunne is an excellent teacher who really seeks to challenge and engage his underprivileged history students at a New York City middle school. Dan has a flip side however, he is a drug addict, and his personal life is a self sabotaged mess. When one of his admiring students (Shareeka Epps, who is excellent) chances to discover her teachers drug problem, the two forage a relationship that could prove vital to each escaping respective traps in their lives. Bold performances by both leads as these layered characters navigating a complicated friendship. I especially liked the way certain facts about the characters were reveled, such as when we meet Dan’s family toward the end of the film, and so much about why his character is the way he is seems explained by that relationship with his parents. Impressive and nuanced enough I had to watch it twice. 4 1/2 out of 5.