POISON SCOOTER

Half Nelson

Looks like Ryan Gosling's performance in this little indie film is legit. Gosling is a dark horse Oscar candidate this year for playing a crack addicted middle school History teacher and does a remarkable job of making his character incredibly likable with little more than a sideways smile or a tossle of his hair.

Gosling's Teach is an addict. We never know exactly how that happened, short of seeing glimpses of his folks towards the end of the film in full on drunk mode. Genetics at work? Depression over losing the love of his life? The strange thing about his addiction is that he never wavers from wanting to teach his students about history. All nighters take their toll on Teach, but he never misses a day of work.

The crux of the film is when a free basing Gosling is caught in the act by one of his students, the very capable Shareeka Epps, and is forced to formulate an odd friendship with her to avoid the inevitable, losing his right to teach due to his habit. Both student and teacher look out for each other, making sure that each is making the right choice.

What I found refreshing about this movie, aside from the performances, was the utter lack of judgment towards these characters. No one in the film is perfect, they all wear their flaws on their sleeve and you cannot help but respect them for that. Gosling as a crackhead seems like a better teacher than 90% of the teachers I had as a kid. Even the drug dealer's appear to be men just trying to make ends meet, which is more the reality than the way television and media portray the lifestyle.

This is for me, the male version of Sherrybaby. Stunning performance, gritty story and a simplistic approach to filmmaking. You don't need car crashes or big name stars to make a move touch you.

posted by Scooter @ 8:12 AM