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Poster for Half Nelson

Half Nelson

Secrets don't let go

2006 · 1h 47m · R Drama
Directed by Ryan Fleck

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Overview

Despite his dedication to the junior-high students who fill his classroom, idealistic teacher Dan Dunne leads a secret life of addiction that the majority of his students will never know. But things change when a troubled student Drey makes a startling discovery of his secret life, causing a tenuous bond between the two that could either end disastrously or provide a catalyst of hope.

Director and cast

Critics on Rotten Tomatoes

Top critics, in their words

All reviews
91%
Tomatometer
Fresh

Ryan Gosling's self-destructive teacher is easily the year's most mesmerizing character study. And he's hardly the only reason to see this film. Shareeka Epps anchors her scenes as Drey with a self-possession way beyond her years.

Bob Mondello, NPR.org
Fresh

Gosling and Epps, an unusual but effective pairing, show real commitment in their performances.

Dave Calhoun, Time Out
Fresh

The movie comes down to Gosling's spot-on performance and how we feel about it.

Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel
Fresh

Gosling is indeed amazing as a bewildered, depressed New York schoolteacher who is slipping into dire drug addiction; it's exactly the kind of star turn in a smaller film that Academy voters could (and should) notice.

Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com
Fresh

Although the subject promises more than the film can deliver, there is compensation in Gosling's convincing, unromanticized portrayal of someone seeking escape from longing and loss that neither he nor the movie can really define.

Terry Lawson, Detroit Free Press

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