A creditable achievement of the goal to be one of the greatest... or not?

Rating: 8/10 (28 October 2017)

A story of a persistent nineteen-year-old boy and a teacher who is close to madness. Was it just a normal Fletcher's behaviour dependent on his momentary impulses or a tight-knit plan of making Andrew a great drummer? And if the second answer is right why this plan included so many dangerous moments? Fletcher likes to repeat an old story about novice Charlie Parker, who was nearly decapitated by a cymbal that Jo Jones threw at him. As we see, Fletcher shows a similar intimidation, but the first situation was only a legend and we can't say the same in Fletcher's case. (What if Andrew hadn't dodged the cymbal?) However these two characters turned out to be "tailor-made for each other" (as Damien Chazelles himself said) and the plot becomes a story of their confrontation. Andrew winds up getting into a lather and refusing all moments that aren't connected with jazz. So how can we spot it? A creditable achievement of the goal to be one of the greatest or just the influence of humiliation by passionate teacher? "Whiplash" stirs up a lot of controversies. The only thing we can say for sure - it's a really sincere and thought-provoking film, because it's a story based on Chazelles' own impressions and doubts.