What I think about Whiplash

Directed by Damien Chazelle

Starring Miles Teller as Andrew Neiman and J K Simmons as Terence Fletcher

Released in 2014

First and foremost, I should clarify Whiplash is one of my favourite films ever. Chazelle's masterful cinematography and writing, Teller and Simmons' chemistry in their performances, and of course the music (by Justin Hurwitz) make this a truly gripping experience and an example of a near-perfect film.

The film follows Andrew Neiman, a nineteen year old first year jazz drummer at Schaffer Conservatory, and his relationship with his psychotic conductor Terence Fletcher over a series of competitions.

The camera work in Whiplash is nothing short of sublime. Fixed angles and slow, controlled zooms and movements are used to build tension, and this technique works well with the subtle actions of the two leads to create a sort of uncomfortable illusion of safety. In stark contrast, handheld, rougher movements are used in moments of danger, the culmination of tension (think the tempo scene at around 25 minutes, or Andrew, Connolly and Tanner's competition for the part around an hour in). Another thing that stands out is the use of rack focus, admittedly a fairly common technique, but nonetheless one which is used exceptionally well here. They serve as a sort of visual semi-colon, focusing first on Andrew being dragged out of the hall in the background, then on a bloody cymbal in the foreground. The establishing shots being in time to the score, while again nothing new, serve their purpose appropriately and can be considered icing on the cake.

Andrew: I wanna be great.
Nicole: And you're not?
Andrew: I wanna be one of the greats.

Fletcher himself is given some development and justification before the finale of the film, when he and Andrew converse over dinner. His drive to find his 'Charlie Parker', so to speak, matches Andrew's to be the next Charlie Parker. Despite being the de facto villain of the film, he is never 'defeated' as such - rather, after Andrew takes matters into his own hands in the finale, he gains Fletcher's approval, shown by silent close-ups of them smiling at each other. Therefore, it can be said that he is not defeated, but appeased to the benefit of Neiman.

The character of Andrew is a fascinating one, and is a role which Miles Teller's inherent douchiness (for lack of a better word - also, nothing at all against Miles Teller, but given his performances in the Divergent series (I know, I know) and War Dogs from a couple years ago give me the impression he plays the arrogant a-hole a little too well) brings a lot of life to. This is a young man who is clearly extremely driven, talented and hard-working, and one whose social failings (re. his brief relationship, lack of friends, etc.) are merely distractions on his desired path to greatness. Though he is undeniably self-centred, when we're seeing things through his eyes we still root for him. We sympathise enough to feel his pride, his embarassment, his triumph, but to mentally scream at him when he resorts to being extremely reckless (the rented car scene before the penultimate competition, or when he attacks Fletcher immediately afterwards). This, however, makes us all the more resentful of Fletcher, placing the audience in the shoes of Andrew's worried father.

Fletcher: I was there to push people beyond what's expected of them. I believe that's an absolute necessity.

The final broad praise I have for Whiplash is for Chazelle's writing. Conversations such as the one at Andrew's family dinner go a long way to give context to Andrew's perception and temperaments. A similar effect is achieved earlier in the film when Ryan Connolly, the core drummer Andrew has been filling in for (prior to being recruited by Fletcher) returns and has a short, nearly inaudible conversation with his bandmate about Neiman's poor playing, though the effect admittedly has less to do with the writing and more to do with the audio editing (for which this film won an Academy Award). And of course nobody should discuss the writing of the film without mentioning Fletcher's terrifying insults brought to life by J K Simmons' equally terrifying performance (for which he too won an Academy Award).

A few more things I love; the orange-gold colour pallette of the film reminds me of studio lights, and it briefly dips away when Andrew gets kicked out before returning as actual studio lights in the finale; the change in the attitude of Studio Band before and after Fletcher enters the room; the ending is the best of any movie I have ever seen.

Fletcher: You think I'm fucking stupid? I know it was you.

All that said, there are a few things that irk me. Andrew sometimes makes some really goofy faces while playing which detracts from the tension of certain scenes. Many of Fletcher's insults seem to be played for comedy, again detracting from the tension (him screaming at Andrew in the tempo scene: good; him wearily insulting Andrew, Connelly, and Tanner in turn in their competition for the part: bad; him arguing with Andrew when he shows up late and forgets his sticks: good; and so on). There are some really cheesy lines of dialogue, like when Andrew asks Nicole out. Speaking of which, their relationship is introduced and never developed, so we feel no real sadness when it ends; one could interpret this as emphasising Andrew being focused solely on drumming, but for me it never felt impactful, and rather more like a somewhat easy and unnecessary way to show that Andrew is a prick because of his ambition. The bus breaking down is nothing more than a plot convenience. This next one isn't a flaw at all, rather a personal peeve: the final song of the movie isn't actually Whiplash.

Nevertheless, Whiplash remains an expertly told story on ambition, greatness, and how much achieving it can cost. Its merits far outweigh its flaws, and I highly recommend it to absolutely anyone. I rate this film 9/10.