Half Nelson | DVD Review

In the subgenre known as the addiction drama – it is the great escape and the inevitable descent into hell that makes up the better part of the narrative, but this fresh take on how people are polarized by opposing forces is a gut-wrenching, realistic character study that basks in imperfections of the individual and the film’s auteurs never come close to facile characterizations of what it is to be the victim. The film’s title is in reference to a wrestling maneuver that paralyzes the opponent by cutting off the person’s mobility – Half Nelson does exactly this – it intimately demonstrates how the individual can be socially inept in confronting reality and without pretension and a hand held guerilla filmmaking style this pair of NYC filmmakers manage to demonstrate that their world is not unlike our own.

It’s a footnote that might have been deleted thanks to the box-office success and marketing hype of a dysfunctional family in a beat up yellow Westfalia, but contrary to popular belief, L’enfant chérie of the 2006 edition of the Sundance film festival was not Little Miss Sunshine but rather, Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden’s feature-length directorial debut. The NYU film student pair was able to lengthen their award-winning short into an addiction drama that goes against stereotypes and goes typical narrative conventions. Due to the film’ raw topic of interest, the grainy photography and film’s groovy score meant that the film found a taker in THINKfilm – and the indie distributor probably saw Oscar gold in not one, but two performances. A late summer, pre-Oscar autumn release and successful festival run further added to the film’s prestige, but it was Ryan Gosling’s commanding performance and first timer Shareeka Epps real teen portrayal that gave the film a shot at art-house popularity.

Usually it is the other way around, but in this case it is not the one with the most wisdom that is the more knowledgeable one. This is a pivotal scene that will rock viewers early on – as the filmmakers lets the viewer “sit with the discomfort”, there are then some chosen opportune moments of when a teen actress responds to a given scene with a impromptu smile. Such diverse sequences, are the make-up of the film’s chemistry – an authentic footprint that shall remain with the viewer perhaps hours after a first viewing and ould make the likes of a Truffaut extremely proud.

Filmmaker Commentary
Fleck and Boden both participate in this tete-a-tete – offering insight in the making of their film and the motivations behind certain scenes. A must for fellow NYC, indie, DIY filmmakers working on a tight budget, the pair made the most out of an urban environment and capture a NYC that does not include a view of famous landmarks – instead, Half Nelson is a showcase for how a young filmmaker can work and direct and get the most out of one of this generations’ better young male actors.

Using a hand held camera and incorporating an aesthetic that aims for a naturalistic tonality, Fleck and Boden made a point of not seeking mini slices of real life – classrooms sequences incorporate shots that capture “student life” and the same can be said for many improvisational set-ups in other interior and exterior shoots. The pair explains how they got Broken Social Scene to sign on, how Gosling’s role was originally slated to be an older prof and they convey just about he ins and outs of how the specific scene came to fruition.

Deleted Scenes
A short and sweet sampling is found here – only a trio of scenes that did not make the cut with the first two adding a bit more to the character descriptions and the third sequence is a lengthier exchange between the student who is late for class and the prof who doesn’t know how what to make of it – the filmmaker’s choice to forgo this option and instead just show the prof’s reaction to an empty seat is more powerful.

Extended Scenes
What appears to be nano-seconds more – this is four pieces that prove how editing and chopping down unnecessary front and back ends of scenes is part of the process of sculpting a film.

Rhymefest “Wanted” Music Video
The videoclip pieces excerpts of the film with a rapper’s visit to the recording booth and to some high school setting – it is not the type of video to get a heavy rotation on MTV. As usual, including a videoclip to a film,s extras proves to be of little utility.

Outtakes
If you are seeing this film for the first time I’d recommend watching this outtakes reel as a chaser – it provides a hearty laugh after a heavy drama coating.

This is the type of DVD where friends fingering through your collection will stop, pause and say “I heard about this film is it any good?”. Despite the fact that this DVD doesn’t carry the award-winning short on which this film was based on, the commentary track should be an interesting point of conversion for future DIY filmmakers.

Movie rating – 4

Disc Rating – 3.5