Half Nelson

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Half Nelson is about teacher named Dan Dunn, who teaches Junior High history and coaches a girls basketball team. He has conflicts with the principle over the curriculum. Dan is a rebel teacher, who teaches his history class his way. He also has a drug problem. He likes to party and do drugs at night and then teach during the day.

Drey is one of his students in his class. Drey is a latch key kid. Her mother works as an EMT. She works many double shifts so she isn’t home a lot. Her mother doesn’t know exactly what goes on with Drey due to her long hours of work. Drey has a brother named Michael, who is in prison on a drug charge. Michael has a friend named Frank, who helps out the family while Michael is in Prison.

Dan had been in a drug program before, in which he had met his ex girlfriend Rachel. Dan finds out that Rachel is engaged to another man. Rachel moves on with her life but Dan does not. The program didn't work for Dan. He continues to do drugs while teaching history to junior high students and coaching girls basketball. One day after basketball practice Dan goes to the locker room to make sure all the girls are gone. He then goes into one of the bathroom stalls and lights up his cocaine pipe. While smoking it he hears someone come into the bathroom. A student of his, named Drey, opens the door of the Bathroom stall and asks :Is somebody in there.” Drey looks at Dan and sees him with a pipe and a lighter. She says “ oh sorry.” Dan says “ Its okay.” “ I’m sorry.“ Dan asks Drey to help him up. Drey asks if he is ok. Drey gets a wet paper towel and wipes his face. Dan gives her a ride home and asks “ see you tomorrow?” Dan says “yes”

The next day in class Dan is very nervous. He is pacing the floor, rubbing ...

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Frank convinces Drey to start working for him by delivering drugs to people. Then one night to show Drey the bad side of the buisness, he sends her to a motel room where Dan, her teacher, is partying. Frank does this to make Dan look bad in Drey’s eyes. But Drey aready knows of Dan’s drug addition. Drey goes into the motel room where she realizes, that Dan is the buyer. Its at that moment that Drey realizes that Dan needs her help. Dan also realizes that Drey needs his help to get away from the drug scene.

This film shows how both Drey and Dan are alike in the following ways.

Dan and Drey are both loaners and wanting someone to care for. During their journey through the drug scene they come to realize that they need each other to survive. They both walk through the drug world in different ways which brings them together and a friendship develops.

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