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Starring
Ryan Gosling, Shareeka Epps, Tina Holmes

Director
Ryan Fleck

Year
2006

Genre
Drama

Synopsis
Ryan Gosling stars in his Oscar-nominated role as Dan Dunne, a young Brooklyn junior high school teacher whose ideals wither in the face of reality as he somehow finds the energy to inspire his students to examine everything from civil rights to the Civil War, with a new enthusiasm.

Preferring an edgier approach, Dan is brilliant, dynamic and in control in the classroom, but he spends his time outside school on the edge of consciousness as his disillusionment has led to a serious drug habit.

Dan juggles his hangovers and his homework, keeping his lives separated, until one of his troubled students, Drey (Shareeka Epps), catches him getting high after school. From this awkward beginning, Dan and Drey stumble into an unexpected friendship.

Most of the soundtrack is by Broken-Social-Scene, made up of musicians from various bands, who performed with the New York Dolls at The Island Festival in Toronto.

TRIVIA:
The film's title refers to a wrestling hold; the film was shot hand-held, except for a short sequence in Dan Dunne's apartment, which were shot on a tripod; although it was produced and shot in New York City, the Toronto band Broken Social Scene is featured prominently on the soundtrack; Ryan Gosling's character says "It's just not cool to be a Nazi anymore, baby." Gosling played a Neo-Nazi in The Believer.

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