Monday, September 10, 2007

Movie Series vol.3


"The half nelson is done using only one hand, by passing it under the arm of the opponent and locking the hand at the opponent's neck. Half nelsons are commonly used in amateur wrestling.

The term "nelson" is derived from "full nelson", which dates back to the early 19th century. It is named after the British war-hero Admiral Nelson, who famously used strategies based on surrounding the opponent to win the Battle of the Nile and the Battle of Trafalgar."






Daniel Dunne (Ryan Gosling) teaches History at a local high school in New York. He tries to inspire his students to see behond facts. Learning History is so much more than dates and numbers, it's all about change and change is full of contraditory feelings and actions. Dunne is also a coach of a female basketball team with poor results. Drey (Shareeka Epps) plays for the team and is also one of Dunne's history students. The 12 year old lives in a tough neighbourhood and has a dealer as parental figure. A challenge. A frienship born out of emotional wreckness.

One night, when Drey goes back to the locker room she finds professor Dunne having a bad trip on crack. From that moment on she relates to him differently, not simlpy as a protector-protegée connection but one out of humanity. Above all Dunne is human. His emotional self-destructiveness leads him to on going nights of coke, crack, alchool and reckless atitudes. But in the midst of all, he just wants to do something good for Drey. By helping her he feels as if he could do something for himself.

The beauty of Drey and Dunne's friendship is highlighted by recognition. By recognising the human being that they're looking into, they don't demand anything from each other. The world seems to pressure them to be better, to achieve success, to do, to this, to that, forgetting that being human is more than actions, like History is more than facts.

Drey is the only one who can actually see Dunne. She's the one who relentlessly stands by him. When she is questioned about why she does it, she simply answers: "because he is my friend". Dunne's not perfect, but she relates to the truth inside him. Despite all his flawness one thing is sure: what you see is what you get. He doesn't hide. He doesn't mask himself to the world.

Half Nelson is not a story about the inspiring teacher. Half Nelson is a story about a profound connection between two human beings who just want to be seen as such. It's a movie with no moral misjudgements. If only the world could see himself and the people in it as Drey and Dunne see each other...



Tag Lines:

Daniel Dunne:
“The sun goes up and then it comes down, but every time that happens what do you get? You get a new day.”

“One thing doesn't make a man.”

“Second chances are rare, man. You ought to take better advantage of them.”


On this "half":

"halfness is better than be
a whole out of empty
fear clinchs
the world whispers
inside just human
flawed, hoplessly flawed
to whatever may be
what else to recognise
than the self-destructive inside
don't hide
don't mask
if there's nothing to grasp
why not just see?
behond boxes' draught
behond judgement
behond prejudice
behond everything that's false...
true lies in fragments
bits and pieces of a flawed valse
hold on your stupid jaws
I am human,
not a perfect sculpted statue
a wild flower at best
nothing more than to rest
half side
half me
half, what else, may see?"...


End of Movie Series 1

2 Comments:

Blogger Anita said...

pois é, eu já tinha curiosidade em ver o filme, agora fiquei praticamente a roer-me toda... culpa tua e das tuas movie series, cada uma melhor que a outra :p

13 September, 2007 01:49  
Blogger João Roque said...

Pela crítica, já tinha tido excelentes referências, aqui completadas.
Apenas um reparo; esqueceste-te provàvelmente de falar na excelência da interpretação do actor que faz de professor, cujo nome de momento, me escapa, mas sei estar a tornar-se um dos melhores e mais preferidos actores americanos da actualidade.
Beijoquitas.

14 September, 2007 07:08  

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