Half Nelson (2006)

Half Nelson: Directed by Ryan Fleck. With Ryan Gosling, Jeff Lima, Shareeka Epps, Nathan Corbett. An inner-city junior high school teacher with a drug habit forms an unlikely friendship with one of his students after she discovers his secret.

“Ryan Gosling delivers a performance in HALF NELSON that is a marvel to watch and to see the talent which this young man/actor brings to the film and screen. Every frame delivers the intensity and drama within this young teacheru0026#39;s life and the issues he handles with his addiction and how he strives to reach his students in the classroom through honesty, humor and the lessons of history delivered on screen. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eJust watching Gosling in every frame is a triumph in what character development is all about, along with the brilliance of his performance. Gosling adds HALF NELSON to his outstanding work in the films THE UNITED STATES OF LELAND and the gorgeous NOTEBOOK.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eShareeka Epps as a young, struggling student, is a perfect foil to Gosling, and her intelligence and strength matches that of Gosling as they both deliver scenes that are memorable and tremendous. From the classroom to the basketball court, to the painful addiction scenes, Epps and Gosling make HALF NELSON come alive with anger, pain and the true pathos of life represented in America today.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWith the final scene in the film, one can only hope that the characters may move from despair into lives which might give them a sense of hope, and finally a chance, as with the lessons of history, to move beyond their unhappy past into a brighter and more rewarding future.”