Review and Analysis of Whiplash

Rating: 9/10 (3 February 2017)

Whiplash (2015) is a very riveting movie written and directed by Damien Chazelle. Whiplash is about young drummer named Andrew (Miles Teller) that is on a journey to become "one of the greats" in the jazz scene. Fletcher (J.K. Simmons) sees potential in Andrew and will ensure that Andrew is tested and pushed to his absolute limits, even if this means degrading him to the lowest level. Andrew will stop at nothing, not even Fletcher, to achieve his goal of becoming the next, Charlie Parker.
The theme of Whiplash has a clear focus on character and his trials and tribulations to make it to the top. Andrew showed great determination throughout the movie. He literally practiced until he bled on the drums. Andrew was so consumed by his goal, he decided to break off his relationship with Nicole (Melissa Benoist) and told her he needed to dedicate more time to drumming. Even a car crash that injured him, did not hold him back from attempting to play a show. The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) directed by Martin Scorsese shared a similar character focused theme of Jordan Belfort's (Leonardo DiCaprio) strive towards greatness.
There was one scene in Whiplash that was quite captivating. When Fletcher brought in Ryan (Austin Stowell) to compete against Andrew for head-seat and gave it to Ryan, the tension was thick in the air. The hand-held camera effect was used to provide shakiness to the scene when Andrew marched into Fletcher's office to demand his spot back. This showed the emotional distress of the scene and really brought it to life. The director liked to use many close-up and extreme close-up shots of Andrew throughout the movie. In particular, during his bouts of intense practice, the camera would show extreme close-ups of Andrew's hand bleeding and him applying Band-Aids to his wounds. There was a motif that was present throughout the whole movie. It was the passion and drive needed to succeed. How far would a person push themselves to achieve their goals?
With the focus on Andrew, it allowed the viewers to build a relationship with him. Andrew's triumphs over his failures gave the viewers a sense of hope and determination, that they could achieve their goals with hard work and determination.