In 2013, Damien Chazelle wrote and directed a short called Whiplash. In2014 this short became a full length feature and it’s a smash! Miles Teller plays Andrew Neiman, a talented first-year jazz student in a prestigious institution, who is going to develop an odd and dangerous dynamic with one of his teachers, Terence Fletcher (JK Simmons).
What a ride! You don’t have a minute to breathe with Whiplash, it’s all in the rhythm and the build-up. It’s very interesting to see how those two driven egos compete against each other. At first Fletcher pushes Andrew to the limits of what he can do, and then he chooses to brush him to the side almost ignoring him either to push him even further or simply because he’s jealous. Finally, there is the finale where they are in sync at last. There are a lot of ways to see this unhealthy relationship, this student/master problem, and it adds so much depth to every dialogue and situation. Damien Chazelle did an amazing job with the writing. What he did in terms of character development is quite incredible, especially with Andrew. From loving music but also loving life, to becoming too focused on music to the point of performing minutes after being in a serious car accident, it’s quite something.
And all that music! It is so good and it’s such a huge element of the characters’ dynamic. The more you get into the story, the more they compete against each other, the more the music fills the action with adrenaline. I couldn’t stay put during Whiplash, I was moving, tapping along with the drum, and I was quite nervous during some scenes, all thanks to the music! However, I wouldn’t call it jazz, but let’s not debate on that right now.
The cast is truly composed of two elements, including Miles Teller and J.K Simmons, and they carry the entire film on their shoulders, brilliantly. I have a weird relationship with Miles Tiller when it comes to his acting. When he is announced in movies, I have a weird feeling that I’m not going to like his performance -speaking of announced movies with Miles Teller, I’m still not convinced he’ll make a good Mr. Fantastic (Ioan, come baaaack). But once in a while I’m really impressed by him, like here or in Two Night Stand, for example. He knows how to captivate an audience and as Andrew, you believe every second of what’s going on. The determination that transpires through his character shows how skilled of an actor he is. And we have another example of brilliant actor with JK Simmons. He is impressive and intense. There’s no word strong enough to describe his performance to be honest*. It’s raw, he doesn’t mess around, and he is sharp, always right in the tempo.
Even if Whiplash is incredibly impressive, I’m not a fan of one of the messages it conveys. This apology of violence, the belief that by pushing someone extremely violently, you can make the best in them come out. I used to have a teacher similar to the one portrayed by J.K Simmons, but he would do the reverse, instead of pushing us forward, he would make a bad example out of some of us for everything, ultimately violently bullying us as well. I don’t understand that attitude in a teacher, and when I witness it, only resentment and anger comes out.
I consider Whiplash the outsider of this year’s Best Picture nomination. It’s a rare and intense movie, not made to please everyone, but very powerful. J.K. Simmons has been sweeping the Best Supporting Actor award in every single ceremony so far, and I think it’s fair to say that he will get the Oscar too. Whiplash is the smash that everyone needs to see, in you’re ready for the thrill and the adrenaline.
Rating: 4/5
*Editor’s Note:
Can we talk about this vein?!
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