A Story About How a Black Girl dates Older Men

My friend Helen and me have been reviewing films recently on here, and we always get a little confused with story lines that don't make sense- and this one was no exception. Helen is 55, I'm 47. We also knit and small talk during a screening, as this helps us balance our ideas.

Half Nelson is about a inner city school teacher, Ryan Gosling, who also is addicted to drugs. He teaches history to junior high students. One of his female students, Shareeka Epps, catches him in the bathroom getting high. She doesn't snitch on him- because she is in fact, fond of him.

Epps lives at home with her single mother but is smarter then you would think, and more mature for a girl of barely 13 years old. She seems to take a liking to older men. She is secretly seeing a thug named Frank, played by Anthony Mackie. Mackie is a drug dealer who lets Epps ride in his truck while he takes her out to lunch. You can already tell he's had sex with her, despite her being under age. He also wants her to start selling for him. She's a cool read though. In fact, from a distance Epps looks like a boy. She doesn't have a pretty face, and she likes sucking on blow pop candies- an indication of what else she likes to do.

Her relationship with her teacher grows more intense, and a sexual relationship begins. Everyone starts getting suspicious. There's a scene where the principal calls Gosling into her office to ask him what's going on. But for some reason, the scene cuts away and we never hear a confession. But most likely, the girl has told her friends she's been seeing him. Her mother is also a clueless fool who should be aware her daughter is selling drugs and having sex with older men.

Helen and me began to get confused around the half hour mark, like we usually do- and our knitting turned into a full blown sewing session. Gosling's motivation makes no sense. If he's a drug addict, why is he teaching? Who's this random woman who keeps showing up at his apartment and claims something happened to her mother. Why is the principal getting mad at him for not opening a folder on civil rights? He's the teacher, let him teach his way. He should have gone to the union to have the Principal fired for disrupting his class to scold him like he was a student himself.

Epps character is even more foggy. Why is she into dating older men? That's illegal and not a wise move. Why are most of the kids in the school black and why would Gosling put himself in danger by working in the ghetto? Not to sound racist, just didn't make a lick of sense. Helen added that back in her day, an interracial relationship like the one Epps and Gosling share would be considered illegal and be held up in the courts.

We glanced at the television from time to time but the story got less and less understandable. Basically this is about a young black girl's lust for dating grown men who have a bad boy side.

FINAL GRADE: C for Confusing!