Andrew Neyman is a young, ambitious jazz drummer, who wants nothing more than to be one of the greats. Accepted into the top music conservatory in the country, Andrew works extremely hard to rise to the top, dedicating long hours in the process. Considering his protective father's own failure as a writer, Andrew's hunger to be succesful consumes him, leading him into the top jazz ensembler led by Terence Fletcher, a highly regarded instructor with extreme teaching methods. The combination of Fletcher's ruthless teaching methods and Andrew's obession to be great creates a dangerous dynamic which threatens to detroy Andrew. Damien Chazelle's Whiplash is a fast-paced visceral examination of passion and obsession that pits two strong-minded characters against one and other. This is a film with narrative flaws, most notably side-characters such as Andrew's Girlfriend and Andrew's father, who feel almost completely unnecessary to the story. Luckily for Whiplash, this hardly matters, given the incredibly dynamic it creates between its two lead characters. Whiplash is a film that feels more like a boxing match, piting these character's wills against each other, as they both fight and claw for what they believe is right. While both actors give great performances, J.K. Simmon's performance as Terence Fletcher is incredibly dynamic. This is a man who doesn't believe in encouragement, convinced that the best type of teaching involves pushing his students until they break. Seemingly a monster, Fletcher is a character who really cares about music, crossing the line in an effort to push his students to be better. Whiplash is a film that explores the line between tough love and abuse, obsession vs. passion, creating an intense character study of two men who refues to lose.
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AuthorLove of all things cinema brought me here. Archives
June 2023
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