Whiplash (2014) - Damien Chazelle

By Lara Culcu.

Warning: Contains Spoilers.

Whiplash is essentially a sports movie disguised as a music movie.

Directed by Damien Chazelle, It follows Andrew Neiman (Miles Teller), a student at the Shaffer Conservatory who aspires to be a world-class jazz drummer. After a late-night meeting in a classroom, he starts being mentored by Terence Fletcher (J.K. Simmons), the notorious conductor of the conservatory's band. 

Put simply, Fletcher is a nightmare. He throws chairs at the band members, yells at them, and slaps Andrew multiple times when he struggles to keep the tempo. 

Interesting fact: When Fletcher tells him to start counting the tempo marked on the page, despite the fact that he insists that the tempo is wrong, Andrew is counting the right tempo. 

This is only the first instance of his manipulative nature. To get the best performance out of his student, he berates him and abuses him, criticizing his performance even in places where he was playing correctly.

 The story of Jo Jones throwing a cymbal at Charlie Parker's head, nearly decapitating him, is repeated over and over again, stating that Parker would never have become who he was without that motivation.

Similarly, Fletcher pushes Andrew past his limits, prompting him to practice until his fingers are blistered and his drums are covered in blood, going as far as to break up with his girlfriend (Melissa Benoist) so he can focus on his drumming. 

The film wants to make the point that a person can't become a musical genius without suffering for it. That skill comes from pushing yourself past your limits, even when it's painful, both physically and emotionally.

However, in the end, it feels more like a cautionary tale. 

We see in painful detail the things Andrew goes through to perfect his craft. Locked up in his room drumming all day, he grows isolated from his friends and family, pushing everyone away. His hands bleed every time he plays, until we start wondering if this is typical for drumming.

In real life, this never happens. A drummer's hands would never start bleeding so heavily like shown in the movie from playing the drums, aside from perhaps clipping their fingers during rimshots.

The movie takes major liberties with the reality of jazz music. As a musician, there are a lot of inaccuracies I noticed, especially regarding the psychology of musicians. 

The characters don't even seem to like music. Both Fletcher and Andrew regard it as a craft to be perfected through blood, sweat, and tears. When Andrew practices, he looks as if he's in agony. We don't see him listening to music for fun, or talking about the history of it as musicians tend to do. 

Furthermore, the premise of the film itself is incorrect. Jazz education puts a lot of emphasis on improvisation, and students work together to form partnerships; the competitive, toxic environment in the film wouldn't foster creativity or genius.

Terence Fletcher is portrayed to be a brilliant conductor, but we don't see him exercise his brilliance. We only see him complain to his students about their tempo or their intonation. Where is the originality? The fresh ideas? The creativity? A real ensemble director would discuss the intent behind the composition, the style, encourage the students while they practice. 

Fletcher kicks a student out of the band for playing a note out of tune. A moment later, it turns out that the student was playing the correct note, but he was kicked out for not knowing if he was in tune or not. In real life, a good conductor would take the opportunity to deconstruct the chord, explain the out-of-tune moment with the intention of improving the quality of the music. 

Of course, this doesn't affect the quality of the film. 

The film shines in the story it is trying to portray - the story of a student who wants to push himself past his limits to become the greatest jazz drummer of his time. In this regard, accuracy isn't important.

It's simply a portrayal of the world of jazz music that varies from real life, so it's not something that would necessarily bother anyone but someone who is interested in music. 

As someone who is interested in music, it didn't bother me on the first watch. In fact, it reminded me of some periods in my life when I was that dedicated to practicing. Right before my piano exams, I would study five to six hours a day, until my fingers were swollen and I couldn't move them anymore.

Thinking back on the movie for this review was when I started thinking about the inaccuracies. However, none of it came to mind during the movie, because it is absolutely spellbinding.

The film is a visceral experience. The intense music, the vivid colors on screen, and the excellent acting performances that show the pain of the characters all contribute to a building feeling of anxiety and stress. By the final scene of the film, I almost couldn't breathe. 

There is a strong feeling of claustrophobia - Fletcher leans uncomfortably close to Andrew to yell at him, making both him and, in turn, the viewers feel trapped. During the long drum solos where Andrew plays through the bleeding of his hands, this entrapment is even worse. While watching, the viewer aches for the drum solo to end, just as Andrew must be feeling. 

Miles Teller gives an outstanding performance, showing every facet of Andrew's character; his transformation from a hopeful, ambitious student to the obsessive person he is at the end. He becomes the character, never sparking disbelief for a moment. While a lesser actor may have portrayed Andrew as a caricature, Teller brings him to life.

J.K. Simmons is excellent as Fletcher, entirely convincing as the demanding, abusive conductor. His character isn't nuanced at all, but he plays the role with skill and high energy at all times. The Best Supporting Actor academy award he won for the role is a testament to the terrifying force he brings to the role.

The emotions of the film are bright, painful, and the cinematography only amplifies this, alternating between warm colors during the drumming scenes to show Andrew's passion, and cool colors during scenes depicting his personal life to show his loneliness and isolation.

To go back to the first line of this review, Whiplash is a sports movie disguised as a music movie. It follows the conventions of a sports movie. A motivating factor, a major competition, an abusive coach, dramatic team dynamics, and the ideal that anyone who works hard will succeed. 

Make no mistake. Despite Andrew's triumph whenever he gets a drum solo correct, this is not a success story.

In the final scene of the film, Fletcher brings Andrew on stage without sheet music, intending to humiliate him for getting him fired. So, Andrew improvises a fantastic, lengthy drum solo, finally fulfilling his potential and gaining Fletcher's admiration.

But is it a happy ending? In my opinion, it's not. 

Though Fletcher abused his students, driving one of them to suicide, he doesn't face any real consequences. He continues working in music, and he finally gets what he wants from Andrew. 

Fletcher won. He set the demands, and Andrew gave in to them, sacrificing his personal life in the process. Despite his fantastic performance, in the end, he still looks to Fletcher to see his reaction. He will always want his approval. 

Damien Chazelle himself said this about the film when asked about the ending. 

"I think there's a certain amount of damage that will always have been done. Fletcher will always think he won and Andrew will be a sad, empty shell of a person and will die in his 30s of a drug overdose. I have a very dark view of where it goes." 

Definitely not uplifting, but it fits with the tone of the movie. It never pretended that this was going to be a happy ending for Andrew. Either way, he loses. If he gave up drumming, he would have the chance at a normal life, but he would never be content with it. If he continued drumming, he sells his soul and lives only to perfect a skill that he doesn't even seem to love, viewing it as pure work rather than something to appreciate.

However, in another way, it is a happy ending. Andrew's dream is to become one of the greats. Fletcher's dream is to help create one of the greats. In the end, they both achieve their dreams. 

It's subjective, and that's the great thing about the ending. We don't know what will happen from here. Maybe triumph, maybe disaster. Either way, this film is a vivid, immersive experience, and excels in portraying the story it wants to tell. 

Does it end well for Andrew? That's up to you.