Whiplash is the ultimate story about ambition. It follows Andrew (Miles Teller) as he tries
to become the best jazz drummer of his generation while he’s caught in a
destructive relationship with his tutor, Fletcher (JK Simmons).
One of the many reasons for the film’s brilliance is the way
it handles its subtext. Instead of
having an outright message and banging its drum, the film raises questions
through the story and we, as the audience are asked to bring our
responses. As Fletcher pushes Andrew to
his limits, were asked to consider the ethics of the situation - for instance, is Fletcher’s bullying
acceptable as he is pushing Andrew towards the greatness Andrew himself
desires? We are left to ask if that
makes the bullying acceptable. It raises
numerous other questions as well, but all of them ultimately focus on the
values of art and aspiration.
The film is also raised by its two central
performances. JK Simmons is on fire as
Fletcher. The character seems to be a vile human being, but Simmons brings more
depth to the performance. In the first few scenes we see Fletcher on angry
sweary form and for the first act this is our only impression of him until we
the film catches him unawares in a corridor having a sweet moment of interaction
with a young girl. However soon, Fletcher’s back with his band, they are under
his control and he’s back on vile form.
We are left to question whether the interaction with the little girl was nasty man trying to be nice in front of a
child, whether he’s a nice man pretending to be nasty in order to push the very
best out of his musicians – or whether any of this even matters: if you’re
offending and bullying people does it matter what your purpose in doing it is?
Miles Teller shines and proves himself as one of the best
young actors working today. Ultimately
the film is Andrew’s story of his aspirations to greatness. Yet it’s never a
straight path with Andrew – at some points he confuses and we wonder why he
persists with Fletcher’s bullying and all the rubbish life throws at him. While we know he is trying to become one of
the greats of jazz drumming, we still wonder if it is all worth it?
At some points Andrew’s path to greatness can be incredibly
alienating. In particular, in one scene,
he coldly breaks up with his girlfriend in order to have more time to focus on
his drumming. However in the film’s closing moments Teller throws everything at
the screen. The confusing character of
before excels in this moment of greatness and defiance against Fletcher. One of
Teller’s key strengths in the film is the incredible honesty he brings to the
part of Andrew. There are moments when
Andrew isn’t in the right place to showcase his emotions for fear of showing weakness
or seeming like bad loser, but Teller’s
little grimaces always let us in on his true feelings.
Yet the real start of the film is Damien Chazelle who proves
himself to be an exciting young director to watch. While it seems shocking that at the time of
writing, Chazelle is 29 (his 30th birthday is tomorrow) it’s quite
obvious when thinking about it as the film has such a youthful energy to it,
edited so compactly that it roars along but still allows you to dwell on the
characters and their actions. Yet each
scene is meticulous as well. It’s finely tuned, like a Swiss watch: every cut
is clear and sharp. The sound fits perfectly with the visuals – at times you’re
reminded of the works of Edgar Wright.
In conclusion, Whiplash proves itself as one of the
standouts of this year’s awards season, with complex, fascinating characters
brought to life by astounding performances – all allowed to flourish in a fast
paced story that escalates in tension like the best drum solos. Whiplash is a
case of cinematic perfection
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