Half Nelson

Theatrical Release Date: 2006 08 11 (USA - Limited)

UPC: 043396178595

Studio: Sony Pictures

MPAA Rating: R   Contains:[Adult Situations, Profanity, Substance Abuse, Sexual Situations]

Summary: An inner-city teacher struggling with addiction forms an unlikely bond with a young student who catches him in a compromising position in director Ryan Fleck's feature-length adaptation of his own award-winning short film Gowanus, Brooklyn. Despite his dedication to the junior-high students who fill his classroom, idealistic teacher Dan Dunne (Ryan Gosling) leads a secret life that the majority of his students will never know. When Dunne's drug-soaked nightlife begins to bleed over into his daytime hours and troubled student Drey (Shareeka Epps) makes a startling discovery, the tenuous bond that forms between the pair soon leads to a warm friendship that could either lead them down a dangerous path or provide the human companionship needed to see things from a fresh perspective and start life anew. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Category: Drama

Awards: In Competition – Sundance Film Festival Film Presented – null Best Picture – Independent Spirit Awards Best Director – Independent Spirit Awards Best First Screenplay – Independent Spirit Awards Best First Screenplay – Independent Spirit Awards Best Actress – Independent Spirit Awards Best Actor – Independent Spirit Awards Breakthrough Performance by an Actor – National Board of Review Best Actor - Runner-up – Boston Society of Film Critics Best Supporting Actress – Boston Society of Film Critics Best New Filmmaker – Boston Society of Film Critics Best Picture – American Film Institute Best First Film – New York Film Critics Society Best Actor - Runner-up – New York Film Critics Society Best Supporting Actress (Runner-up) – New York Film Critics Society Best Young Actress – Broadcast Film Critics Association Best Actor – Broadcast Film Critics Association Best Actor – Toronto Film Critics Association Best Actor – Chicago Film Critics Association Most Promising Performer – Chicago Film Critics Association Best Picture - Drama – Satellite Awards Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama – Satellite Awards Best Actor – Screen Actors Guild Best Picture – Oklahoma Film Critics Circle Best Actor – National Society of Film Critics Best Supporting Actress – National Society of Film Critics Best Actor – Online Film Critics Association Best Supporting Actress – Black Reel Awards Best Breakthrough Performance – Black Reel Awards Breakthrough Filmmaker – Online Film Critics Association Breakthrough Performer – Online Film Critics Association Best Actor – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Film Presented – London Film Festival Film Presented – New Directors/New Films

Features: Outtakes
Deleted & extended scenes
Filmmaker commentary
Rhymefest "Wanted" music video
Special features not rated or closed captioned.

Half Nelson

Format: Digital Video Disc (DVD)

Release Date: 02/13/2007

Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Alternate Wide Screen

Audio: DD5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1, DD2 Dolby Digital Stereo

Runtime: 107 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) English

Subtitles: English,Spanish

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Disc #1 -- Half Nelson
1. Opening Sequence [3:59]
2. Basketball Practice [3:41]
3. The Other Thing [3:26]
4. Good to See You [2:28]
5. Girl's Locker Room [5:27]
6. Skipping Class [4:48]
7. Turning Point [4:05]
8. Nice Cap [3:50]
9. Rough Morning [4:33]
10. The Machine [3:07]
11. Engaged [6:00]
12. A Good Day [2:50]
13. Always Changing [3:12]
14. Some Candy [3:47]
15. Hard to Like [4:53]
16. A Communist? [4:44]
17. History Major [3:30]
18. That's My Bike [5:31]
19. Late Night Visit [4:29]
20. Cheating [2:04]
21. Here For You [4:58]
22. Scary Things [3:13]
23. Good With the Kids [3:41]
24. Motel Delivery [4:45]
25. Substitute [1:24]
26. Where are Your Friends [1:47]
27. Cleaning Up [1:31]
28. End Credits [4:45]

Michael Buening

Ever since Blackboard Jungle, there has periodically appeared in American movies the story of a headstrong teacher taking on an inner-city school and whipping his or her students into shape, employing either militaristic tough love or a mushy appeal to the delinquents' artistic hearts. Half Nelson can't help but recall some of the more questionable "white savior saves black kids" elements of the genre in its story of an earnest, idealistic young man, Dan (Ryan Gosling), coaching basketball and teaching history and civil rights in a free-range style that chafes against the strict core curriculum of his New York City middle school. The movie quickly shatters the idealism of its hero with the murky truths of reality: Dan is a crack addict ideologically leaning on an untenable brand of '60s liberalism. However, simply subverting stereotypes does not guarantee emotional depth or thematic complexity. The film's source of power lies in the budding relationship between Dan and Drey (Shareeka Epps), a bright student from dismal circumstances. Drey is entering a critical crux in her life, when the emotional confusion of budding puberty could easily spin into the downward spiral that sent her older brother to jail for drug dealing. After Drey discovers Dan passed out in a school bathroom, their friendship develops within the uncertain confines of student/teacher and child/adult as they both try to save each other. The directing and writing by Ryan Fleck and superb naturalistic performances by Gosling and Epps captures the subtle push and pull of two damaged, needy, and intelligent young adults looking for the emotional bonds -- of friends, parents, and siblings -- they can't find from their outside social environment. Half Nelson is touching without being mawkish, morbid, or unrealistically uplifting; the title could refer to the way Dan and Drey compliment each other's strengths and weaknesses or the wrestling-grip hold their personal demons have on their psyches. ~ Michael Buening, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Sebastian Sozzi  Actor 
Rosanne Korenberg  Producer 
Paul S. Mezey  Executive Producer 
Alex Orlovsky  Producer 
Ryan Fleck  Director 
Ryan Fleck  Producer 
Ryan Fleck  Screenwriter 
Anna Boden  Producer 
Anna Boden  Screenwriter 
Broken Social Scene  Composer (Music Score) 
Charlie Corwin  Executive Producer 
Clara Markowicz  Executive Producer 
Doug Dey  Executive Producer 
Jamie Patricof  Producer 
Lynette Howell  Producer 
Scott London  Executive Producer 
Ryan Gosling  Actor 
Shareeka Epps  Actor 
Anthony Mackie  Actor 
Tina Holmes  Actor 
Jay O. Sanders  Actor 
Denis O'Hare  Actor 
Nicole Vicius  Actor 
Deborah Rush  Actor 
Monique Curnen  Actor 
Starla Benford  Actor 
Karen Chilton  Actor 
Collins Pennie  Actor 

Country: USA