I think this film is over-rated. The acting is great but... the teacher teaches and has relationships...the kid acts like she wants to be grown up. That's the story in the first hour, which was all I could manage. Sure, they've both got their problems and they interact with each other and their lovers and relatives respectively but not in any very meaningful or interesting way. Plus, it's a bunch of well-worn clichés, albeit done in a somewhat fresh and edgy way. There's a liberal Lefty teacher who 'gets' kids, a warm, funny kid in a dysfunctional black family, drugs are bad for you and your relationships, the school principal is a toughie, sports are about taking part and not winning, black neighbourhoods are scary for white drivers. In practice, the 'rebel' is a sweetie wrapped up in a candy floss film. That goes for the kid, too.
Review of Half Nelson
