This review contains spoilers for “Whiplash”
Academy Award-winning film “Whiplash,” released Jan. 16, 2014, is a psychological drama following a young jazz drummer, Andrew Neiman (Miles Teller), as he works his way to the top of his highly competitive band program. As the movie progresses, the band instructor, Terence Fletcher (J.K. Simmons), begins showing his infamous and terrifying teaching methods.
Audiences are used to seeing characters give their craft their all, but not quite like how we see in “Whiplash.” Andrew Neiman does anything and everything to be the best drummer he can. He is so passionate and committed to the craft that he plays until his hands bleed and he sweats onto the drumhead. Yet, he keeps playing. This brutalist approach lends to his teacher, Terence Fletcher.
Terence Fletcher is nothing short of an abuser in this film while obviously proving his abilities by being the best professor at the best academy in the country. His methods are less than orthodox. He humiliates, degrades and physically attacks his students to ensure perfection, and he will expect nothing less no matter what.
Fletcher’s actions directly influence the character development in this film. The characters stay the same the entire move or progressively begin to adopt the same hostile nature as Fletcher. I think this was an intentional choice and a good one at that. It proves that in a situation where one is being abused by a higher authority figure, the victim will never change and will mentally harden over time. While we see Andrew fight this, he has inevitably grown callous. This is apparent at the end of the film when he is in a car wreck, and he hardly skips a beat to make it to his concert.
At the end, we receive notably one of the best jazz drum solos I’ve ever heard, delivered by Andrew. However, this solo was not planned. He breaks out of the number to do his solo to prove his abilities and rebel against Fletcher.
While this moment seems triumphant, I don’t think it is. He is giving Fletcher exactly what he wants. As a teacher, he wanted the success and perfection of his students, and Andrew is giving him just that. He even smiles by the end of the number, proving that he wasn’t defeated. If anything, this scene feels like a submission from Andrew to Fletcher.
While this film isn’t for the faint of heart, it is an undeniable classic. It makes your ninth-grade soccer coach look like Mother Teresa. It’s unlike any film out there and presents a soft, white underbelly to the music industry and TV shows that everything is not as it seems.
The only thing that has not aged well is the language. While Fletcher has an aggressive personality, there is a way to portray aggression without harmful language. On the other hand, the language provides depth and works as a way to outwardly express how much of a horrible person he is.
Even so, the cinematography and writing are nothing short of ahead of their time, as this film is packed with symbolism and greater themes that set it apart from other musician films and make it enjoyable to a wider audience. “Whiplash” isn’t for the faint of heart, but those who choose to stick with it during its runtime will find something truly special.