Half Nelson

“This pops. This pops in a big bad way. And also, when you look at it, it’s the work of people who haven’t made a lot of flicks. Like this dude, Fleck, this is, he took the short film he had, blew it up into this feature and it holds . . . You know, like it’s an amazing piece to look at where, I sit there as a filmmaker and I’m like, this dude’s way better than me. I’ve been doing this twelve years. This dude is phenomenal.” - Kevin Smith

Dan Dunne (Ryan Gosling) is a young inner-city junior high school teacher whose ideals wither and die in the face of reality. Day after day in his shabby Brooklyn classroom, he somehow finds the energy to inspire his 13 and 14-year-olds to examine everything from civil rights to the Civil War with a new enthusiasm. Rejecting the standard curriculum in favor of an edgier approach, Dan teaches his students how change works - on both a historical and personal scale - and how to think for themselves.

Though Dan is brilliant, dynamic, and in control in the classroom, he spends his time outside school on the edge of consciousness. His disappointments and disillusionment have led to a serious drug habit. He juggles his hangovers and his homework, keeping his lives separated, until one of his troubled students, Drey (Shareeka Epps), catches him getting high after school.

From this awkward beginning, Dan and Drey stumble into an unexpected friendship. Despite the differences in their ages and situations, they are both at an important intersection. Depending on which way they turn - and which choices they make - their lives will change.

The Soundtrack

1. Stars & Sons - Broken Social Scene
2. Evacuation - The Somnambulants
3. Wanted - Rhymefest featuring Samantha Ronson
4. Black Hearts - Remy Balon
5. A New England - Billy Bragg
6. The Corner - Saigon
7. Shampoo Suicide - Broken Social Scene
8. Na Ni Na - Conjunto Cespedes
9. Just Begun - Baby Blak and King Honey
10. Sometimes - Dujeous
11. It’s Alright to Cry - Rosey Grier
12. Can’t You See - The Marshall Tucker Band
13. Da Da Dada - Broken Social Scene

Broken Social Scene began in 1999, born of a theme that has become the stalwart of the band’s existence: friends in tough times. Feel Good Lost was an elegant debut developed by Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning while cocooned in a basement all winter. Over the next year, BSS grew into a far more expansive live band. They were a mix of cagey vets and wide-eyed kids working on an experimental side-project. In October 2002, they released the critically acclaimed You Forgot it in People. The next two and half years were spent touring North America, Europe and Japan. In 2005, BSS went back into the studio with Toronto’s wunder-producer Dave Newfeld and recorded their self-titled follow-up to YFIIP. Broken Social Scene is described as a joyously chaotic record and is an apt aural representation of the band's spirited yet chaotic friendship.

More information about Broken Social Scene can be found here

Half Nelson Official Website

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