Whiplash is like a time-bomb ticking to a point of explosion and that comes in the form of the movie's climax

Rating: 8/10 (15 March 2015)

Whiplash turns the conventional teacher-student relationship on its head. There are two words that come to my mind that wholly define the movie: BLOODY INTENSE and ELECTRIFYING. Easily, Whiplash is one of the most thrilling dramas that you will ever come across. The movie rightly earned an Oscar nomination for Best Picture as it captures the various human emotions like passion, determination, perseverance and dedication to superior effect. One can actually feel the emotions like currents flowing through the veins of the actors: Miles Teller and J.K. Simmons and both of them carry the movie together with utmost brilliance.
So, Whiplash is about a music teacher, Fletcher (J.K. Simmons) and his student, Andrew ( Miles Teller) and their struggle to master the art of drumming. The film talks about the extents to which one can or should go to survive in the current scenario of cutthroat competition. One may surely not relate to Fletcher's teaching methods but J.K. Simmons plays the role with such authority that he makes it very difficult not to love his character as he walks on fine lines of an anti-hero. The power packed performances make the movie what it is and a tight screenplay adds on to its thrilling quotient as the movie deals with the teacher-student relationship in the most reckless way imaginable.
Coming to the cast, J.K SImmons as Fletcher is a music teacher with highly unconventional teaching methods that mostly involve barking orders, cursing like a sailor because according to him, everything is fair in teaching as it helps him bringing out the best in his students. There are no two words in the English language more harmful than 'GOOD JOB' , this particular quote can be called as Fletcher's teaching ideologies in a nutshell and explains his psychology quite perfectly. He gives the performance of his lifetime in Whiplash as the movie derives most of its intensity from him and in my opinion, he surely deserves an Oscar for this. Miles Teller as Andrew plays the role of a determined student who is an apprehensive lad, pressurized to his saturation point by his music teacher, Fletcher, but at the same time he is very optimistic about his career as a drummer. Miles Teller brings in the much required, vulnerability as well as realism to his role and he completely wins your heart in the third act of the movie.
The film kick starts right from the word go and once it gets the momentum, there's no looking back. That's the beauty of Whiplash. It has some brilliantly crafted scenes that are so intense and snappy that you might need a moment or two to catch your breath again.
Whiplash is like a time-bomb ticking to a point of explosion and that comes in the form of the movie's climax. The drum solo of 'Whiplash' played by Andrew in the live concert with Fletcher finally acknowledging Andrew gives the movie a perfect finish as the chemistry of both the actors on-stage reaches a state of euphoria. That's the point when Fletcher discovers that the true potential of his student has been finally realized and the relief on his face says it all. It's like the whole movie was desperately trying to reach there and the immense satisfaction that the movie leaves you with is brilliant.