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.

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.

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.