Whiplash - The Cost of Obsession

Rating: 10/10 (23 September 2018)

"There are no two words in the English language more harmful than 'good job'." These are the words that encapsulate the crux of the narrative in Damien Chazelle's 2014 drama Whiplash. In the broadest of terms, Whiplash is the story of Andrew (played with many layers by Miles Teller) and his road to become one of the greatest jazz drummers in history. Along the way, his passion and tenacity for the art is tested by Fletcher (the Sergeant Hartman-influenced university professor acted fantastically by J.K. Simmons), who pushes his subjects to such an extreme that I will not spoil in this review. That's it; it's a tale of the obsessed artist. The film is much more a character study then a story-driven one.
One thing that Chazelle excels at with this film is character to character interactions and relationship development. Every exchange between Fletcher and Andrew (which is a majority of the film) creates so much tension in the space they're in, you'd think a bomb was about to go off. There hasn't been this kind of tension through dialogue since The Social Network. With all that said, even when there isn't a verbal sparring match between our two leads, the narrative remains immensely compelling. Andrew's relationship with his father (played by Paul Reiser) is a notable example. Andrew's father is a man whose dream was to become a famous novelist, but after his first attempt was unsuccessful, he relinquished his dream and became a high school teacher. This foil to Andrew is what he fears for himself. In plain terms, the way the movie is written and acted plays to this idea that everyone in Andrew's life is the enemy; everyone except his real enemy, Fletcher.
Andrew also has a brief relationship with Nicole (played by now-Supergirl Melissa Benoist), a girl he meets at a classic movie theater. Ironically, the relationship starts and ends for essentially the same reason. Andrew's newly instilled confidence warps into hubris as he works more and more with Fletcher, with Nicole being an unfortunate bystander in their crossfire. Their relationship ends with one of the most blunt breakup scenes (possibly ever), leaving the audience with a sour taste of Andrew, but at the same time understanding why he did what he did.
On top of being a well-written, albeit simple, story, the film boasts some impressive technical elements. Firstly, the camera work. The film's D.o.P. is Sharone Meir, whose previous work is mostly with television, with a few exceptions like the Last House on the Left remake in 2009. The camera is mostly locked down to a tripod, with the occasional panning shots. Once Andrew begins his descent into obsession, the camera work becomes more and more loose, reflecting his mental and physical state. On top of that, the camera work is clever in its composition as well. Fletcher is an imposing figure, made more clear by the fact that he's always standing about Andrew in almost every shot up to a certain point in the film. Andrew is constantly being looked down upon by this giant, screaming and cursing up a storm; his version of "encouragement." Fletcher is always big in the shot, taking up a sizable amount of screen time with medium close-up and close-up shots.
Finally, the last major aspect of the film is the music. Director Damien Chazelle channels his inner Buddy Rich on this film, with himself being a longtime drummer. It's important to note that a large majority of the playing in the film is done by Teller, making his performance all the more impressive. The film's score is essentially played out on screen, with composer Justin Hurwitz helming the rest of the non-song-based scoring. The music further reinforces the overall intensity of the film, with a hectic and complex pieces of big band jazz music like the titular "Whiplash" and the epic "Caravan."

In summation, Whiplash is a tightly-written, well-shot, well-acted drama that will surely be remembered for years to come. Every character has a purpose, every shot has a purpose. The film builds and builds in tension similar to that of a good horror film, yet the monsters aren't physically there on screen, but behind the eyes of our characters. All this to one of the best endings to a film, in my opinion, ever. Whiplash never disappoints, and should be regarded as one of the best new millennium films out there.