Great films about drug addiction: Half Nelson
Although it came and went from theaters with little fanfare, the 2006 film Half Nelson was celebrated by critics for actor Ryan Gosling’s stand out performance, as well as the movie’s unflinchingly real look at drug addiction.
Gosling plays a middle school teacher in a tough city school. His students are predominantly African American and Hispanic – and come from poor families and broken homes. Yet he manages to inspire a love of history in these kids with a unique approach that brings the subject matter to life.
But the teacher is hiding a secret drug addiction. Once idealistic and ready to change the world, he has turned to drugs to numb the pain of a life that has not turned out as he imagined.
When one of his young students catches him smoking crack in the school bathroom, they forge a unique powerful relationship in which the boy tries to reconcile his feelings about his teacher, and Gosling’s character attempts to look inward in order to understand what he has become.
Half Nelson is a must-see film because of the way it portrays drug addiction among regular working class people, but also because of the connection that is formed between a teacher and his student. The young boy is only 13, but is wise beyond his years. With a single-mother at home, barely able to make ends meet, he can relate to his teacher’s difficulty coping with his own life.
The result is a special movie that can help people understand what drives us to drug addiction, and why our loved ones need the care and support of family members, as well as a good drug rehab program.
