A troubled student helps her self-destructive teacher reclaim his wayward life in Ryan Fleck's beautifully understated drama. Titled after a wrestling hold from which it's virtually impossible to escape, this slow-burning indie feature artfully reworks the clichés of the "redemption through education" genre. An Oscar-nominated Ryan Gosling demonstrates the same quiet intensity he showcased in The Believer, as the charismatic educator who's an inspiration in the classroom but a disillusioned crack addict in private. When he's caught getting high by a 13-year-old pupil (a wonderfully natural Shareeka Epps), Gosling forges a fragile bond with the precocious girl, who understands the devastation of drugs from her own family's experience. While hope is the film's overriding message, what's refreshing is its refusal to offer easy answers. There's neither moralising nor contrived sentimentality, just a reflective, documentary-style honesty that's sobering and poignant. Ultimately this unflashy approach won't appeal to everyone, but for those who stick with it, Half Nelson will prove a rewarding experience.

Despite his dedication to the junior-high students who fill his classroom, idealistic teacher Dan Dunne leads a secret life of addiction that the majority of his students will never know. But things change when a troubled student Drey makes a startling discovery of his secret life, causing a tenuous bond between the two that could either end disastrously or provide a catalyst of hope.