A Monster of a Movie

Rating: 9/10 (5 June 2017)

A film as intense as The Deer Hunter (1978) and as dialogue-less as 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), Whiplash weaves a depraved tale using sounds just as much as words. The film climaxes with a moral question of monstrosity versus purpose built up with a paralleling story of a dueling student and teacher. While one transforms from golden god to relatable monster, the other morphs from innocence to sin. The ultimate scene depicts their relationship perfectly while leaving room for interpretation in what can only be called a moral mystery. The drums act as a metaphor for a normal humans ambitions and beatings of himself, while there remains an underlying sexual connotation to the film: sadism and masochism, is there a limit? And the same question can be applied to any theme, scene, line, or note in the entire film. Is there a limit? J.K. Simmons is a master in turning the iconic Fletcher from monster to human and back again. From the very moment, Fletcher walks in the door, Simmons exudes an aura of intimidating prowess, yet the viewer also picks up on a hidden humor, sadness, and humanity. Every award Simmons won, he deserved in what may be the most chilling performances since Day-Lewis in There Will Be Blood (2007). Miles Teller takes on more: a transformation from reliability to deprivation. Does he succeed? That answer lies with Andrew. Teller fully embodied the performance into the role of Andrew. Damien Chazelle orchestrates, directs, and writes. The sounds mimic the tensions, the tensions are splayed out for the viewer, and the writing is impeccable, picking up on the casualness in the father-son relationship (in the theater) and the intensity of the training. This cinematic genius combines music and visual to perfection as two sides of the same coin. This cinematic genius leaves the viewer so emotionally, mentally, and physically drained, he remains seated for the entirety of the credits realizing the enormity of what he saw, while picking apart the closing music for last glimpses of meaning. This cinematic genius was unfortunately cheesy. A clichÃ©d story of a rising star. Can Andrew really be the best after one year? Maybe the movie is imbued with so much meaning, it forgot its believability at the front door, along with its measuring gauges so the viewer could know what was going on? Is Andrew playing well or not? We don't know until someone tells us. How many times do we think he's playing well until we're shot down along with Andrew? Simmons is our masterful visual cue subtly indicating when Andrew is a star or not. The movie goes south when Simmons is out. The film is genius with Simmons on screen.