Halfnelson Film Nomination and Awards

Half Nelson was a film starring Ryan Gosling as Dan Dunne who was the history teacher of an eighth grade class in a school in the inner city of Brooklyn in New York. Dunne’s class was mostly comprised of inner city black and Hispanic children of which many were facing trouble outside of school at home. These children were enthralled by Dunne’s lectures in the film as he had a teaching style that was all his own. As the movie progresses Dunne starts to abuse narcotics as a way to escape the realization that he cannot change the world as he dreamed in college. The movie Half Nelson was nominated for many awards including an AMPAS award in 2007 for best performance by a leading actor (Ryan Gosling) and the movie won the Stockholm film festival in 2006 for best actor (Ryan Gosling). The movie was also nominated for the black reel awards in 2007 for the best supporting actress Shareeka Epps. In 2006 the film won the Gotham awards for best film, the breakthrough award, and the award for breakthrough director (Ryan Fleck). In addition to this the film was nominated for countless other awards that made it a must see for many movie buffs.

Half Nelson was a breakthrough film showing how life in the inner city can make a person lose all hope for humanity. Ryan Gosling is highly acclaimed by many people for his role in this movie as he brought the gritty reality of drug use to the big screen while portraying a man that did his best to improve the lives of the children he taught but could do little to help himself to stay clean. This film is truly a heartfelt take on life for many children as well as adults dealing with various problems in inner city Brooklyn.