Half Nelson (2006)

Director:

Ryan Fleck

Writers (WGA):

Ryan Fleck (written by) &
Anna Boden (written by)

Release Date:

11 August 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Secrets don't let go.

Plot:

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.

Plot Keywords:

Diner | School Teacher | Cocaine | Urination Scene | Drug Addict

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 22 wins & 21 nominations

Cast

Ryan Gosling	...	Dan Dunne
Jeff Lima	...	Roodly
Shareeka Epps	...	Drey
Nathan Corbett	...	Terrance
Tyra Kwao-Vovo	...	Stacy
Rosemary Ledee	...	Gina
Tristan Wilds	...	Jamal
Bryce Silver	...	Bernard
Kaela C. Pabon	...	Lena
Erica Rivera	...	Erika (as Erika Rivera)
Stephanie Bast	...	Vanessa
Eleanor Hutchins	...	Simone
Sebastian Sozzi	...	Javier
Tina Holmes	...	Rachel
Karen Chilton	...	Karen
Kitty	...	Dave
Starla Benford	...	Principal Henderson
Anthony Mackie	...	Frank
Denis O'Hare	...	Jimbo
Monique Curnen	...	Isabel (as Monique Gabriela Curnen)
Deidre Goodwin	...	Tina
Collins Pennie	...	Mike
Thaddeus Daniels	...	Referee
Susan Kerner	...	Motel Slow Dancer
Raymond Anthony Thomas	...	Earle (as Ray Anthony Thomas)
Stanton Davis	...	Trumpet Player (as Stanton Davis Jr.)
Ron C. Jones	...	Mr. Dickson (as Ron Cephas Jones)
Christopher Williamson	...	Charles
Leslie Eva Glaser	...	Rose
Sharon Washington	...	Suzanne
Deborah Rush	...	Jo Dunne
Jay O. Sanders	...	Russ Dunne (as Jay Sanders)
Nicole Vicius	...	Cindy
David Easton	...	Jeff Dunne
Adepero Oduye	...	Crack Smoker
Katie Nehra	...	Woman with Camera
Steve Kursh	...	Man on Bed
Matt Kerr	...	Mr. Light

Directed by
Ryan Fleck

Writing credits (WGA)
Ryan Fleck		(written by) &
Anna Boden		(written by)

Produced by
Anna Boden	....	producer
Charlie Corwin	....	executive producer
Doug Dey	....	executive producer
Hunter Gray	....	associate producer
Lynette Howell	....	producer
Rosanne Korenberg	....	producer
Scott London	....	executive producer
Clara Markowicz	....	executive producer
Paul S. Mezey	....	executive producer (as Paul Mezey)
Alex Orlovsky	....	producer
Jamie Patricof	....	producer
Jeremy Kipp Walker	....	co-producer

Original Music by
Broken-Social-Scene

Cinematography by
Andrij Parekh

Film Editing by
Anna Boden

Casting by
Eyde Belasco

Production Design by
Beth Mickle		(as Elizabeth Mickle)

Art Direction by
Inbal Weinberg

Costume Design by
Erin Benach

Makeup Department
Loretta Alston	....	key hair stylist
Sabrina Alston	....	additional hair stylist
Marilyn Cush	....	additional hair stylist
David Kalahiki	....	additional makeup artist
Xandra Mercedez	....	additional makeup artist
Leo Won	....	key makeup artist

Production Management
Ronny Merdinger	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Nicholas R. Bell	....	second assistant director
Amyjoy Clark	....	second second assistant director
Mariela Comitini	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Jeremy L. Balon	....	property master
Heidi Barack	....	artwork
Justin Bischoff	....	art department intern
Jared Bumgarner	....	art department intern
Tze Chun	....	artwork
Dan Delorenzo	....	art department intern
Joey DePaolo	....	art intern
Nicholas Fabiano	....	art department intern (as Nick Fabiano)
Corey Gegner	....	art department intern
Julie Gollins	....	propmaker
Alonso Homs	....	art department intern
Dan-ah Kim	....	on-set dresser
Ryan Minelli	....	art department intern
Mark Pelter-Robson	....	artwork
Luke Pendley	....	art department intern
Mike Romano	....	leadman
Jürgen Schadeberg	....	artwork (as Jurgen Schadeberg)
Herb Snitzer	....	artwork
Bernard Stollman	....	artwork

Sound Department
Leslie Bloom	....	foley artist
David Crabb	....	foley editor
Tom Efinger	....	post-production supervising sound editor
Tom Efinger	....	sound re-recording mixer
Judy Karp	....	sound mixer
John Moros	....	dialogue editor
Jaime Reyes	....	boom operator
Paul Sacco	....	stereo sound consultant: Dolby Stereo
Abigail Savage	....	foley recordist
Nicholas Schenck	....	assistant sound editor (as Nicholas J. Schenck)
Craig Spencer	....	sound effects editor

Visual Effects by
Ricardo Guzman	....	scanning and film recording
Bert Hilaire	....	digital intermediate engineer
Jeff Huston	....	scanning and film recording
Scot Olive	....	digital intermediate colorist
Corey Stewart	....	digital intermediate engineer

Camera and Electrical Department
Adam B. Bell	....	still photographer (as Adam Bell)
Carter Bissell	....	additional grip
Carter Bissell	....	electrician
Molly Condit	....	videographer
Katie Dainson	....	camera loader
DeWitt Davis	....	additional grip (as Dewitt Davis)
DeWitt Davis	....	electrician (as Dewitt Davis)
Daniel Feighery	....	assistant camera
John Frisbie	....	best boy electric
Jared Graf	....	additional assistant camera
Wesley Hodges	....	second assistant camera
Chris Knable	....	grip/electric intern
Mike 'Electric' Mervilde Jr.	....	electrician (as Mike Mervilde Jr.)
Smokey Nelson	....	gaffer
Michael Nostrand	....	videographer
Aaron Randall	....	best boy grip
Gabrielle Russomagno	....	still photographer
Matthew Walker	....	key grip (as Matt Walker)
Toshiro Yamaguchi	....	first assistant camera

Casting Department
Tiffany Nottage	....	casting assistant
Rita Powers	....	extras casting
Sean Powers	....	extras casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Molly Bauml	....	wardrobe intern
Jennifer LeRoux	....	wardrobe intern
Natalia Parsons	....	costume design assistant
Andrea Roa	....	wardrobe supervisor

Editorial Department
Chad Beck	....	associate editor
George Bunce	....	editor: IQ
Cindy Lee	....	assistant editor
Matthew Reedy	....	digital intermediate producer
Mike Trinker	....	digital intermediate editor (uncredited)

Music Department
Doug Bernheim	....	music supervisor
Rich Kleiman	....	music consultant (as Richard Kleiman)

Other crew
Ronald Arceneaux	....	additional set production assistant
E.J. Bradley III	....	set production assistant (as E.J. Bradley)
Leonard Bullock	....	parking production assistant
George Bunce	....	2K conform
Nissa Ren Cannon	....	assistant: Silverwood Films (as Nissa Canon)
Victoria Carter	....	office intern
Riddick Claudia	....	parking production assistant
Mark O. De Pace	....	assistant location manager (as Mark Depace)
Craig DiFolco	....	assistant: Hunting Lane Films
Leo Driver	....	parking coordinator
Joe Facey	....	caterer
Darin Frank	....	legal counsel
Stacy Frankel	....	assistant: Original Media
Amparo Garcia	....	set intern
Gina Gordon	....	clearance supervisor (as Gina P. Gordon)
Steven Gorel	....	office intern
Scott Greene	....	parking production assistant
Shawn Hamilton	....	production accountant
John Henry	....	assistant production coordinator
James Hundley	....	parking production assistant
Ilana Lifshitz	....	payroll accountant
Melissa Lucier	....	office intern
Anthony Martinez	....	parking production assistant
Marcy McKenzie	....	location manager
Tony Osso	....	script supervisor
Jillian Paul	....	office intern
Alyson Perlongo	....	assistant: Original Media
Justin Rigby	....	key set production assistant
Morgan Roberts	....	set intern
Adam Salky	....	assistant: Hunting Lane Films
Sofie Sandberg	....	set intern
Michael Sapia	....	parking production assistant
Ashley Sawyer	....	set intern
Lara Sfire	....	office production assistant
David Sheffield	....	set intern
Howard Shipman	....	parking production assistant
Kareem Taylor	....	set intern
Joe Wehmeyer	....	key set production assistant
Rachel Williams	....	office intern
Sam Yoo	....	location intern

Thanks
Jay Duplass	....	thanks
Scott Macaulay	....	thanks
Rachel McAdams	....	thanks
Michelle Satter	....	special thanks
Gary Winick	....	thanks
Boaz Yakin	....	thanks
Howard Zinn	....	thanks

Production Companies

• Hunting Lane Films
• Journeyman Pictures
• Silverwood Films
• Original Media
• Traction Media

Distributors

• A-Film Distribution (2007) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Arsenal Filmverleih (2008) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Axiom Films (2007) (UK) (theatrical)
• Cathay-Keris Films (2007) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• Colifilms Distribution (2007) (France) (theatrical)
• Manga Films (2007) (Spain) (all media)
• Sandrew Metronome Distribution (2007) (Finland) (DVD)
• THINKFilm (2006) (USA) (theatrical)

Other Companies

• Apt. 5 Cosmetics  makeup provided by
• Artists Public Domain  editing facilities
• Axium International  payroll services
• Bedell Cellars  beverages provided by
• Black Radiance Cosmetics  props provided by
• Brooklyn Lager  beverages provided by
• D.R. Reiff & Associates  insurance (as D.R. Reiff and Associates)
• DeLuxe Laboratories  color
• Digit Audio  audio post facility (as Dig It Audio Inc.)
• Duart  dailies lab
• EFilm  laser film recording
• Eastern Effects  grip and lighting equipment
• Eisner & Frank  legal counsel
• Esp-Disk  artwork provided by
• Heavy  footage provided by
• ITN Archive  footage provided by
• Kashi Products  props provided by
• Lakeshore Records  soundtrack
• Meow Mix  cat food provided by
• Mountain Valley Water  beverages provided by
• Nation Magazine  props provided by
• New York Times, The  props provided by
• Noëlle Penraat  negative matching
• Nyko Technologies  props provided by
• Oddball Film and Video  footage provided by
• Original Media  editing facilities
• P-R Motivational Companies  artwork provided by
• Postworks New York  digital intermediate facility (as Postworks, NY)
• Sony BMG Music Entertainment  artwork provided by
• Utz Potato Chips  props provided by
• Veniero's Bakery  props provided by
• Video Tape Library  footage provided by
• Wilson Sporting Goods  props provided by

MPAA:

Rated R for drug content throughout, language and some sexuality.

Runtime:

USA:106 min (Sundance Film Festival)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Ireland:15A | Australia:MA | Finland:K-13 | New Zealand:R16 | Singapore:M18 | USA:R | Germany:12 | Portugal:M/16 | UK:15 | Sweden:7

Filming Locations:

Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Hunting Lane Films

Trivia:

Rachel McAdams came to visit the set during the filming of the bar scene. Running low on bar extras, to help the producers out Rachel hopped in to help make the bar look busy. Her scene never makes the final cut.

Quotes:

Dan: Who might say that Aristotle's wrong, right? But that doesn't make any sense; these things need each other. The idea that... that all God's creations are perfect, perfect - so just to suggest that - that a tree it's - it's crooked and it's straight... it's strong and it's weak... is to suggest that - that God created something imperfect. They do however acknowledge it in people; we are sinners but we can strive to be good just not in nature itself I guess.

Movie Connections:

References "Sesame Street" (1969)

Soundtrack:

Evacuation

Gritty and sensitive

Set in Brooklyn, New York where he currently lives, Ryan Fleck's first full-length feature, Half Nelson, is a gritty, sensitive, and emotionally harrowing film that meticulously avoids the inspirational clichés of many teacher-student films and the obligatory violence of films set in the ghetto. The title is derived from a wrestling move in which you turn an attacker's strength back on him. In the case of Dan Dunne (Ryan Gosling), an idealistic eight-grade history teacher in an inner city school, he turns the attack on himself, inspiring his students by day and drugging himself at night with crack cocaine.

Dan is a well-liked teacher and basketball coach whose parents (Deborah Rush and Jay O. Sanders) were liberal activists during the 60s and 70s, participating in protests against the Vietnam War but have now substituted alcoholism for political passion. Like his parents, he wants to make an impact on the world but is disillusioned with the current political climate and, out of frustration and fatigue, (like many on the Left today) has drifted into a self-induced stupor. Believing in social justice and that society can be changed through education, he teaches history, to the chagrin of the school's administrator, in the form of Hegelian dialectic, showing that change results from a clash of opposites.

Dan shows his students videos of seminal events from the last fifty years such as the 1954 Brown vs. Board of Education ruling that paved the way for desegregation of the schools, clips from the civil rights movement, and Mario Savio speaking on the Berkeley campus during the Free Speech Movement. To its credit, the events in the film do not occur in a political vacuum but attempts to tie in the failed protests of the Left to Dan's drug habit are not entirely persuasive. Dunne's life begins to spiral out of control when one of his students, thirteen-year old Drey (Shareeka Epps), discovers him in the girl's bathroom passed out from ingesting cocaine. Instead of becoming frightened or angry, Drey brings him water and helps him to gradually come down from his high.

Drey comes from a family in which her mother works a double shift and is rarely at home, her father is out of town, and her older brother is in prison for selling drugs, but she is mature and street-wise beyond her age. She promises to keep his secret and both find that their unlikely friendship satisfies an emotional need that Drey cannot find with her classmates and Dan cannot find with other adults. He is dating a fellow teacher (Monique Curnen) but his behavior with her is erratic and his political speeches and drug habits soon turn her off. A former girl friend from his period of rehabilitation (which he said didn't work for him) tells him that she is now getting married which pushes him further into a downward trajectory.

The emotional highlight of the film is a confrontation between Dunne and Frank (Anthony Mackie), a suave drug dealer and associate of Drey's older brother who recruits Drey to be his collector. While Dan wants to steer Drey in the right direction, he is hardly a role model and the results, while promising, are inconclusive. Although its premise of the film is somewhat implausible, Gosling's performance of the charming but flawed teacher is completely credible, so nuanced and touching that we root for him in spite of his capacity for self-destruction. Shareeka Epps is equally convincing in her powerfully understated performance as his tough but sensitive young friend. Co-written by Anna Boden and supported by an outstanding original score by Broken Social Scene, Half Nelson "stands and delivers" one of the finest films of the year.