Half Nelson is a 2006 American drama film directed by Ryan Fleck, written by Anna Boden and Fleck. The film stars Ryan Gosling, Shareeka Epps, and Anthony Mackie. It was scored by Juno Award winning Canadian band Broken Social Scene. Gosling received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for his role in the film. The story concerns an inner city middle-school teacher who forms a friendship with one of his students after she discovers that he has a drug habit. The film is based on a 19-minute film made by Boden and Fleck in 2004, titled Gowanus, Brooklyn. It premiered in competition at... the 2006 Sundance Film Festival. It was released theatrically on August 11, 2006. Dan Dunne is a young urban middle-school history teacher at a Brooklyn school, with a teaching style that rejects the standard curriculum in favor of an approach based upon dialectics. Though he seems to have it all together in the classroom, in his own time he is found frequently snorting and freebasing cocaine. But after a basketball game, Dan's ex-girlfriend, Rachel turns up, evoking emotions that he cannot handle.
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| Release date: | January 23, 2006 |
| Directed by: | Ryan Fleck |
| Rated: |  |
| Runtime: | 106 Minutes |
| Producer: | Lynette Howell, Rosanne Korenberg, Alex Orlovsky, Jamie Patricof, Anna Boden |
| Editor: | Anna Boden |
| Music by: | Broken Social Scene |
| Cinematography: | Andrij Parekh |
| Screenplay by: | Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck |
| Estimated budget: | $700,000 |
| Adapted from: | Gowanus, Brooklyn |