If we've talked recently, you've probably heard me talk about this movie at least several times - I've praised its amazing characters, the addicting soundtrack (which my roommates have had to listen to endlessly), and just everything about it. Well, I'm here to do it again.
Whiplash features Andrew, a jazz drummer at the prestigious Shaffer Conservatory, and Terence Fletcher, his maniacal instructor. Andrew aspires to become 'one of the greats' of jazz and practices insanely to get into Fletcher's band. When he invites Andrew into his band, the best one in Shaffer, Andrew is happy to have finally been recognized. But Fletcher's teaching methods aren't orthodox - he believes in pushing students beyond their limits and does this by inflicting physical pain and verbal abuse. As Andrew continues to desire acceptance by Fletcher, his goals become an obsession, which slowly drives him insane.
According to IMDb, Whiplash's genre is drama and music - if you ask me, I'll tell you it's a thriller. When I first stumbled upon Whiplash, I honestly didn't expect much. I hadn't seen too many memorable music-themed movies, and I didn't think this would be any different. Boy, how wrong I was. When the movie ended and the credits rolled, I wanted the movie to keep going for another two hours because the 100 minute run-time was too good.
Whiplash is set in the U.S., but there is almost nothing that ties it to a specific place or time. Andrew could be a student in any setting, along with the other characters. Anyone can relate and empathize with this timeless and place-less story. Although they do mention Fordham University, football, and the NFL, they are insignificant and do not detract from the emotional connection. Along with the story being relatable, it is also very ordinary. What do I mean by this? In many movies these days, the world within the movie seems different from the real world. An obvious example would be Transformers, a world in which giant alien robots that can turn into vehicles exist. But this is the case even in non- Sci-fi movies. In Gone Girl, there is still something that makes me think, 'most likely, this cannot happen in real life'. But for Whiplash, I believe that this could happen. I know from friends who study music that there are very harsh, terrifying teachers out there. I know some extremely ambitious students, not just in the musical world, who will do anything - anything - to achieve their dreams. I consider Whiplash to be an epitomes of a good movie: it doesn't have fancy special effects or a spectacular cast, but it can take an ordinary situation, mix in some interesting characters, and produce the best movie of its year.
Let's talk about the characters. In the beginning, I didn't think that Andrew, the main character, is very unique. We've all seen an ambitious but unconfident college student without many friends. On the other hand, Fletcher was an original piece of work from the start. He is neither the mean, despicable coach who bullies his students for fun nor the caring, saint-like mentor that turns the life of a troubled kid around. He is obviously extremely mean (I could talk about his badass insults, but that's a whole other topic), but there is also a meaningful motive behind his actions which he mentions throughout the movie. Because of this strange dichotomy, we cannot make up our minds about him, hating him one moment and admiring him the other. Back to Andrew - he doesn't stay the boring character that he is. Through his interaction with Fletcher, he continues to change - but it's not necessarily for the better. As Fletcher continues to torture him, he simultaneously motivates him, turning him more and more crazy. His insanity spreads to other aspects of his life, as we see in the dinner-table talk scene and the way he breaks up with his girlfriend (which, by the way, is not a spoiler because it's in the trailer). I cannot say that this movie has the best characters I've seen (that award is still kept by The Fantastic Mr. Fox) - but I can definitely say that it has one my favorite character interactions.
The plot itself is very simple and concise. A majority of the scenes focus on the two's relationship. The other scenes add character and insight into Andrew. There are no elaborate plot sequences or plot twists (which seem to be a trend these days), but I have heard people say that Whiplash has the best ending to a movie they have ever seen. I've also heard from others that they felt it was too sudden - they were expecting more but it just ended. I relate with the latter more, although I don't necessarily deem the ending as bad: a movie makes me crave two more hours is a pretty damn good movie. Whichever side you're on, the 100 minutes will fly past without you knowing.
I rarely talk about this aspect of a movie (mainly because I don't know much about it) but I want to praise the music in Whiplash. You might be thinking, 'it's a music movie - the music has to be good'. Well, it's really, really good. I've never been a fan of jazz - not that I didn't like it, I hadn't the opportunity to listen to it much. This movie not only showed me amazing filmmaking, but also introduced me to a previously-unknown beautiful genre of music. Ever since my first viewing, I've turned on the soundtrack at least once a day. I can't get it out of my head, and I don't want it to leave. Due to Whiplash, I'm trying to get more familiar with jazz, and I even have a growing desire to learn drums. If you don't watch too many movies but want to hear some good music, watch Whiplash.
If you look closely at the poster, you can see many quotes from various sources. Every one of them is true. Oh, here's a fun fact. Whiplash was filmed in 19 days and edited in a month; most movies take years to its final product, and they aren't half as good as this one. To the director and writer of this fantastic movie: Damien Chazelle, I will be expecting many more great works from you.
10/10 - favorite movie of 2014.
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