And The Beat Goes On

Rating: 9/10 (21 November 2014)

This film is highly recommended.
The need to create and the artistic challenges that go along with that innate desire are the force empowering the characters in Whiplash, a wonderful melodrama about a controlling teacher and his talented student. Their ongoing conflict is the basis for this film. Despite some overdone moments, it is one of this year's best.
Skillfully written and directed by Damien Chazelle, Whiplash tells its conventional story very well. Andrew Neiman (Miles Telller) has a dream of becoming a first class jazz drummer and nothing will stand in his way. He practices daily, to the point of bloody self-destruction,
and gets the attention of Terence Fletcher (J.K. Simmons), a demanding conductor at the school whose high standard of excellence becomes Andrew's mantra.
Chazelle has made a stylish film with superb editing by Tom Cross that follows the riffs and rhythms of its musical score while focusing on its central players. The passionate performances by Teller and Simmons are remarkable. Their rehearsal scenes crackle with tension as their relationship builds to become a master class in acting. Teller conveys the youthful eagerness to please with the vulnerable side of a gifted musician's fervent interest in his art. Simmons has been given the role of his career. There is no beloved Mr. Chips on campus. This professor lobs his barbed words at his class for direct impact and makes his tirades sting with indignation. If Simmon's memorable role as the overly zealous Fletcher is overlooked this award season, then the rules need to be revamped immediately.
However, the logical question does arise and make one pause to the actual reality of academia: could a music professor be so sadistic and cruel and still be in charge of this class? The physical and mental abuse he inflicts on his pupils is layered with constant profanity, racial slurs, and acts of violence that certainly would never have given him tenure, let alone keep a job. This leap of logic almost tilts the story to absurdity.
But the dramatics outweigh the reality of the situation. The film is so well crafted and boasts two of this year's finest performances that it demands your attention. Whiplash is emotionally involving from its first note to its last. GRADE:B+
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