Half Nelson

Half nelson discusses loneliness in two similar yet different ways, mr dunne, ironically named, is done with life, his loneliness comes from being the only one at the bottom of the pit, his ex gf has found sobriety and while happy for her, he feels as though this is her leaving him behind. On top of this he sees himself as the reject of the family, with no true friends or partners he endlessly floats through the night looking for the next high. His student drey, struggles with loneliness in a different way, she’s shown to be distant from the other students in the class, at home she is alone as her mother works long shifts and her only two genuine bonds are her teacher, mr dunne, who she feels distant from due to his use of drugs; and her brothers friend frank, who steps in to look after dreys family after her brother is sent away for drug smuggling. Drey cannot form meaningful bonds with any of the adults in her life and mr dunne cannot hold on to the bonds he’s formed. As the film progresses these accounts of loneliness transform into a stronger bond between our protagonists as they try to look out for each other as they both spiral down darker paths. SPOILERS!!!! Half Nelson was a brilliant film, the scene where drey sells drugs to mr dunne in the motel room ruined me. The cinematography was so up close and personal with it’s characters which I loved!