Widely regarded as a modern classic by various film lovers as a modern-day classic, Whiplash put Director Damien Chazelle on the map as one of the best filmmakers working today. Entering its 10th anniversary, Whiplash has maintained its reputation as one of the most influential films of the 21st century.
Young and ambitious drummer Andrew Neiman attends a prestigious music conservatory in New York. Andrew is invited into the studio band by conductor Terence Fletcher, who puts Andrew under fire with his brutal teaching methods. This pushes Andrew to his breaking point as Fletcher's abuse and Andrew's desire to be one of the greats push everything in his life away in his insane drive to reach his goal.
Whiplash is thrilling in the way it builds anxiety in the audience. This is largely thanks to JK Simmons's Oscar-winning turn as the tyrannical Fletcher. Fletcher has some truly memorable insults and meltdowns throughout the film but Simmons also gives Fletcher such a larger-than-life screen presence that even when he's not yelling at someone. Some of that is through the mind games Fletcher plays with Andrew and the audience that keep you on your guard as it keeps you thinking what his true motivation is behind certain actions. The film also is a great showcase of jazz as Chazelle and his team capture what makes live jazz so thrilling to watch, largely thanks to the award-winning editing and sound. This aspect is especially impactful in the amazing finale of the film.
The film's message of attempting to achieve greatness and whether the means to get it is worth it is the most fascinating part of the film. This is shown by the protagonist, Andrew Neiman, as he rapidly reaches his breaking point. Miles Teller does a great job capturing this obsesion in Neiman and its unhealthy effect on his life. Even at the beginning of the film, Andrew is never shown hanging out with friends or having conversations with his bandmates. Even when he goes on a date with his girlfriend it seems ideal and healthy but there is a sense of awkwardness between the two as they discuss their backgrounds and individual pursuits. When Andrew eventually breaks up with her to have more time to practice, he breaks down his reasons for doing so like a robot coldly analyzing why this relationship won't work, this offends her and she walks out of his life. As Andrew continues to practice till his hands bleed, this all builds up to a breaking point in the most thrilling sequence of the film. As Andrew makes his way to a jazz competition, everything seems to go wrong as his bus breaks down forcing Andrew to get a rental car. Andrew in a hurry ends up getting hit by a truck, and despite his injuries getting to the show is still his number one priority. After Fletcher dismisses Andrew from the band due to his injuries Andrew finally snaps and attacks Fletcher, getting expelled in the process. The film makes a statement that sometimes the extreme means we go through to achieve our dreams aren't always worth it, but despite everything, neither Andrew nor Fletcher can come to that understanding.
Whiplash has earned the status it has today. It's a fascinating character study that masterfully takes you into the mind of a driven young man.
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