Dark Review –
Whiplash
Written by Casey
Douglass
After watching
Birdman
and getting royally pissed off with the “walking-drumming” music,
the prospect of going to see a film that appeared to revolve around
drumming didn’t immediately appeal. It’s a credit to
Whiplash’s
trailer that I finally came around to seeing that it was a film about
striving for excellence, amongst other things. It also helped that
part of my mind pointed out that the shouting ball-busting teacher
character sounded a lot like how I talked to myself about my writing
abilities. Did I get any motivational tips from
Whiplash? Read
on to find out.
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| Image © Sony Pictures Classics |
Whiplash follows
the story of 19 year old Andrew Neimann (Miles Teller), a first year
student at a prestigious music school. His instrument of choice is
the drum-kit and the film begins with him coming to the attention of
elite conductor Terrence Fletcher (J.K Simmons). This moment lights
the touch paper to what is already a strong desire in Andrew, and
sends him straight towards becoming the drummer he has always wanted
to be. Except, “straight” is hardly the right word; Andrew’s
path meanders from success to calamity and back again with stunning
swiftness, much of it orchestrated by Terrence Fletcher himself. He
builds him up just to knock him down again. If something isn’t
right, they spend hours and hours and hours going over and over and
over it, with the rest of the band waiting in the wings, rolling
their eyes but glad it’s not them being targeted by his ire.
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| Image © Sony Pictures Classics |
It isn’t all drumming
however. We get to see Andrew spending time with his dad Jim (Paul
Reiser) and girlfriend Nicole (Melissa Benoist). The film certainly
needs these non-music based scenes to give the audience a little
breathing space from the high-intensity ball-busting moments. After
you’ve seen blood on a drum-kit, some peace is quite appreciated.
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| Image © Sony Pictures Classics |
I enjoyed how the film
writ large on the big-screen the troubles and mental issues of trying
to become one of the best at something, along with the possible
consequences. Andrew makes various choices that seem to cut much of
“life” out of his life, which leaves the audience wondering if
they would have done the same thing or if it was really necessary. It
makes no odds as Andrew very much thought it was. Another constant
theme is the “get back up if they knock you down” one,
highlighting the effects of persistence and not just luck or ability.
Finally, the film passes through a kind of freeing moment where
things flow for Andrew because he has pushed on into a more
self-confident and ballsy mental state.
I loved Whiplash
and I still find myself thinking about it days later. It would have
been a film that I wouldn’t have imagined enjoying to the degree I
have, let alone looking forward to picking up on Blu-ray when it’s
released. Did I get anything out of it with regards to my own
creative life? Maybe, I’m still chewing it over.
Rating: 5/5
