[SPOILERS: The Blind Side, Dances With Wolves, Dangerous Minds, Freedom Writers, Gran Torino, Green Book, Half Nelson, Hardball, Hidden Figures, Lawrence of Arabia, The Blind Side, The Help, To Kill A Mockingbird]


Half Nelson was released in 2006, written by filmmaking duo Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden and directed by Fleck. Despite being highly acclaimed in critic’s circles, earning Ryan Gosling his first Academy Award nomination for Best Actor at only 26 years old, the film didn’t receive the widespread notoriety I feel it is more than deserving of.

Upon watching the film, it immediately became and remains one of my favorites, not just because of its exquisite writing and powerhouse acting, but because of its brilliant deconstruction of what is referred to as “The White-Savior Trope”.


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[00:00] - Intro
[01:32] - What Is "The White Savior Trope"?
[03:33] - How "Half Nelson" Subverts It
[12:02] - A Different Kind Of Ending...
[14:31] - Patrons


MUSIC:

All music written & performed by Broken Social Scene: "Stars & Sons", "Shampoo Suicide", Lover's Spit", "Da Da Da Da"