20 Hidden Drama Movie Gems You Can Watch On Netflix

16. Half Nelson

The only film so far for which Ryan Gosling has been nominated for an Academy Award, Half Nelson sees the actor star as a laidback, compassionate inner-city Junior High teacher, one who prizes dialectics over any form of traditional curriculum. When one of his students (Drey, played by Shareeka Epps) finds out about his drug habit (Gosling's Dan Dunne is prone to freebasing in the school toilets) the two begin to form a strong bond. A purposely slow affair, Half Nelson succeeds not only because of Gosling's delicate performance, but also because of its superbly crafted script, which allows its characters the kind of dialogue rarely seen in the movies anymore. The film is a tempered, soulful affair, and Gosling is backed-up sublimely by not only the young Epps, but by Anthony Mackie (as neighbourhood drug dealer, Frank), too, who really should take roles like this more often.