Half Nelson
Director: Ryan Fleck
Year: 2007
Stars: Ryan Gosling, Shareeka Epps
This probably wasn't the best film to choose to watch when I was already feeling pretty sleepy. It's quite slow, and (for the most part) set in dark, sleep-conducive rooms. Thankfully I actually only fell asleep for 5 minutes or so, so I didn't really miss much of the film.
I'd recorded this movie a while ago and read some positive reviews of it, particularly of Gosling's performance. The film is all about Dan Dunne, a teacher who also happens to be a drug addict. Part of the reason I found it hard to relate to the film was simply that I could not bring myself to like the main character - I refused to accept his excuses for the way his life had turned out, and just thought basically he only had himself to blame. Whether or not that was the way I was meant to feel, I'm still not sure.
The film was described as "understated" in the TV guide I was reading, and I have no argument with that. The problem is, it's so understated it feels incredibly slow - and a little pointless.
Rating: 2.5 out of 5
About Me
- Anna Lawson
- I live in Bristol with my husband Dan (who I married in July 2007), my son Joe (born 2012) and daughter Jess (born 2015). I work at UWE (the University of the West of England) in Bristol as a Research and Open Access Librarian. I'm orginally from Exeter, so moving back to Bristol is a bit like coming home - especially as I studied for my undergraduate degree here (also at UWE). I love travelling and movies, although I get to do a lot less of both since the birth of our children. Although we have still managed to fit in holidays to the Isles of Scilly, Chamonix and a summer in California since Joe was born.
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