Dan Dunne is ready to fall. A respected teacher in a tough inner-city school, Dunne doesn’t follow the manual but gets results. He’s also got a drug habit that is danger of becoming abuse. When thirteen year old Drey discovers him tripping in the toilets, they form an unlikely partnership. Dunne has high hopes for his student, but so does her neighbourhood drug dealer, the guy who landed her brother in jail. As a frail friendship develops between Drey and Dunne, they both see the possibility that one might just offer the other some kind of future.

This post-Sundance sensation took Gosling all the way to the Oscars with a blistering performance as the teacher in crisis. He is one half of what distinguishes this splendid film. The other is honesty. In the wrong hands, Half Nelson could be the bastard child of Dangerous Minds and Dead Poets Society. The potential for over-ripe action is resisted as the filmmaker’s create an effortless portrayal of reality. They dwell in small detail which is brought to life by Gosling’s persuasive presence. As Dunne’s dependence on crack grows, and his tenacity in the classroom slides, he becomes a poster-boy for waste in an aimless society. But does a thirteen year old have the strength to save a man twice her age? It’s never certain.

Somewhat undone by sub-standard, wobbly-cam - a fashionable excess that gives nothing to the film or players who work hard to overcome the distraction – Half Nelson remains an unmissable experience. Not only is Gosling the new next-big-thing, but unbeatable support from Epps and Anthony Mackie as her dealer cements the work. Despite a downbeat tone, here is an inspirational experience wrapped around a tough, uncompromising and quite remarkable film.

// COLIN FRASER