Covered with sweat and blood, thrashing behind a drumset, sits Andrew Neiman, an aspiring drummer who will let nothing get in the way of his road to greatness.
Directed by Damien Chazelle, Whiplash is a 2014 film focusing on the determined jazz drummer Andrew Neiman, driven to achieve perfection to satisfy the impossible expectations of his abusive college band teacher, Terence Fletcher.
Whiplash is not solely a musical film—instead, it is a modern tragedy. A majority of the movie is spent anxiously watching the protagonist’s downward spiral into obsession, fueled by his self-hatred and crippling fear of failure. Psychological torment and bruised hands stoke the fire of Neiman’s passion and self-destruction.
Each band recital and solo practice displayed in the film emphasizes stress and anxiety, not only for Neiman but the entire overworked group of musicians as well. As they play through each song, they take extreme care not to mess up, attempting to please the standards of their eccentric and insane teacher.
Neiman takes this dedication to the extreme, beating on his drums till his hands drip blood over his battered set, sweat dripping off his forehead as he painstakingly repeats the piece repeatedly without so much a break.
Whiplash lives up to its name. Not only is it named after one of the main songs played in the jazz band’s setlist, but it is also an accurate term for the intense, rapid-paced story of the film and even the violent car crash Neiman gets into. Watching Whiplash feels like being hit by an unexpected blow, leaving viewers winded and at the edge of their seat.
Directed by Damien Chazelle, the creative direction of Whiplash is excellent. Beyond an expectedly fantastic soundtrack, the cinematographic work flows seamlessly within the context and plot of the film.
Long, unbroken shots of pure energy being beaten into drums illustrate Neiman’s undying passion for greatness, amplified by the incredible acting of Miles Teller. Beyond simple camerawork, the film features a jazzy-yellow color palette and filter. Through careful close-ups and tracking shots, each scene feels lovely to watch.
Whiplash is more than the music. Neiman’s obsession grows into his entire identity—even going so far as to leave his girlfriend and those he loves in pursuit of musical greatness. As the audience, we see Neiman lose his grip on life, destroying himself in the process; his teacher, Fletcher, watches in smug satisfaction. By the movie’s end, he’s almost grown into a monster—deadset on being one of the greats or dying in the process.
Whiplash displays the unnecessary sacrifices unchecked ambition can cause. The abuse of Fletcher and Andrew’s ride-or-die mindset combine to create an incredible artist who will ultimately crumble under the weight of his aspirations. Whiplash asks how far is too far when you are chasing a dream.