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Ryan Gosling stars as a high school teacher with a drug addiction, in this 2006 indie drama that saw him nominated for an Academy Award. An inner-city junior high school teacher with a drug habit forms an unlikely friendship with one of his students after she discovers his secret. Acclaimed by critics and audiences worldwide, the Chicago Sun-Times called the film a “masterpiece”, awarding the film four stars out of four, and Paste Magazine named it at #16 in their “50 Best Movies of the Decade” list.
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Half Nelson (2006)
107 min
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.